Four issues
#1 “I’m a truth teller”, says Donald Trump.(1) I am pretty sure you want to object. The course is about how (and how not to) argue with fake, alternative facts, and pseudo-science.
#2 Studies find that homeopathy is an effective treatment for depression.(2) I am pretty sure you want to know why this claim is flawed. We will gain some understanding of experimental designs und statistics and see how the hocus-pocus works.
#3 97% of published studies support the position that climate change is real and largely human-made.(3) I am pretty sure you approve of the message. The course will show why this statement entails a problem and consequences you may dislike. [Hint: What would 49% support mean?]
#4 Science is descriptive and can’t or shouldn’t comment on normative issues, i.e. suggest what should be. I suppose you have heard of this guideline and maybe you have realised the challenge this imperative poses for scientists who do want to act for change. The course will show that sociology can – and in fact: has to – be in favour of social justice. The demand for social justice – to refer back to statement #1 – relates to facts that are – most likely – true. The course will deliver these facts.
In standard terms the course is about the philosophy of science and the sociology of knowledge. We will see that influential currents within the social sciences and humanities (social constructivism, postmodernism) have said or have been understood as saying: ‘Everything is socially constructed; there is no way to know objective reality; scientific knowledge is no more true than other kinds of knowledge.’ While every good theory has to be constructivist, not every constructivist theory is good theory. I suppose this may sound like non-sense. We will talk about (fashionable) non-sense. And make sense of what ‘social constructs’ really are. Working together, we will discuss philosophy of science not as an end in itself but in order to address the four issues (and other issues you may come across!) and every-day examples. The goal is twofold: (1) understand what we can know and do know about the (social) world (2) use this knowledge to have a say in the pressing issues of our times. |
