Course Content: This course will examine the moral arc of science. Students will look at how the arc of the moral universe bends toward truth, justice, freedom, and prosperity thanks to science—the type of thinking that involves reason, rationality, empiricism, and skepticism. The Scientific Revolution led by Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton was so world-changing that thinkers in other fields consciously aimed at revolutionizing the social, political, and economic worlds using the same methods of science. This led to the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment, which in turn created the modern secular world of democracies, rights, justice, and liberty.
The class will be a combination seminar and lecture format. I will usually start with a lecture to introduce the topic of the day, which will be following by discussion of the lecture material, a short break at the 90-minute mark of the class, then the second half of the class will be devoted to discussion of the readings and/or student presentations and discussion. Students are expected to arrive at their own conclusions about issues discussed, to be able to give reasons for their conclusions, and to understand why others may disagree. Students are expected to develop further the art of conversation and the exchange of ideas by clearly articulating not only their own beliefs and opinions but that of others, which requires active listening—that is, truly understanding what someone else’s opinions or beliefs are by reiterating them until agreement is reached that the dialogue is actually about the subject at hand and that you are not talking at cross purposes. Such skills are essential for global citizenship in a pluralistic world.