PHIL 120 - Science, Technology, and Values
- Prerequisite: ENG 100 OR placement in ENG 209-260
An Introductory course addressing the relationship between science, technology, and human values with a focus on contemporary problems posed by developments in modern science. May be taken on a CR/N basis.
Contact: 3 hours lecture per week
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of PHIL 120, the student will be able to:
- Understand the role of cognitive and moral values in world views, by discussing and writing about the ethical implications of modern scientific and technological results
- Recognize the difference between matters of fact and matters of value, while understanding the important ways in which facts influence value assessments and how value judgments shape our vision of "the facts"
- Understand ethical methodologies and competency in ethical deliberation on rationally applying these methodologies to contemporary ethical questions related to scientific progress and technological power
- Explain why ethics plays an important role in science and technology
- Understand at a basic level the scientific method, its modern results (astronomy, evolution, biotechnology), and its historical development