This course explores the social construction of scientific knowledge from various perspectives. The course begins by taking stock of core philosophical theories on scientific knowledge and then it proceeds to ask how various authors have described and characterized this knowledge as socially embedded and constructed. Through this course we will ask what sort of knowledge is considered scientific or not? And then from there, a variety of social, institutional and historical factors will enter and influence not only how scientific knowledge is discovered and developed, but also how we evaluate it. This course is suitable to advanced undergraduates and doctoral students.
3-4 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
This course explores the social construction of scientific knowledge from various perspectives. The course begins by taking stock of core philosophical theories on scientific knowledge and then it proceeds to ask how various authors have described and characterized this knowledge as socially embedded and constructed. Through this course we will ask what sort of knowledge is considered scientific or not? And then from there, a variety of social, institutional and historical factors will enter and influence not only how scientific knowledge is discovered and developed, but also how we evaluate it. This course is suitable to advanced undergraduates and doctoral students.
Offered in Autumn 2025 at Stanford University.