POLITICAL EPISTEMOLOGY

Academic year
2018/2019 Syllabus of previous years
Official course title
POLITICAL EPISTEMOLOGY
Course code
FM0459 (AF:283892 AR:160741)
Modality
On campus classes
ECTS credits
6
Degree level
Master's Degree Programme (DM270)
Educational sector code
M-FIL/02
Period
4th Term
Course year
1
Moodle
Go to Moodle page
From historical reconstruction to philosophical comprehension: This class aims at articulating a historical-epistemological reflection on science based on concrete historical cases taken from the history of science in the longue durée that will be lifted to the level of a cultural-political philosophical generalization.

The course will be arranged around three basic categories of science as a cultural phenomenon:
1. Abstraction: the process of codification of knowledge considered in relation to alienation as an ethical-political tension;
2. Orientation: the ambivalent uses of scientific methods for exploration and control;
3. Valuation: the ideal of science as a drive of scientific policies and ideology.

The historical range of case studies will be broad (from ancient Egypt to India, early-modern China, and Europe) in order to enable a long-term perspective on the emergence of scientific practices and reason. This is essential to reflect on the dynamics of scientific developments in general, in order to critically construct an integrated theory of science. The political focus will consist in looking at science in relation to its practical origins and the consequences of its uses.

The class will be taught by a research collective of scholars in political epistemology from Germany, India, and Italy. Its character will be explorative and dialogical. Students will have the chance to enter in contact with research questions and debates and are expected to participate in the discussion.
Objectives:

• To introduce students to research in political epistemology;
• To explore the ways to connect the philosophy of science with the history of science;
• To address a crucial topic of epistemology, namely the problems of abstraction, orientation and valuation of science through the analysis of historical cases;
• To become acquainted with the history of science in the longue duree;
• To learn how to gain a more general philosophical understanding of the development of science through generalization;
• To learn how to critically construct a narrative after the end of ‘grand narratives’;
To become capable of reflecting of and discussing historical and philosophical sources and critically interpret them.
Preconditions

• Enthusiasm and readiness to engage with challenging historical and philosophical discussions and readings;
• Knowledge of English in order to read the materials and participate in the discussion.
Contents:

The course will be arranged around three basic categories of science as a cultural phenomenon:

1. Abstraction: the process of codification of knowledge considered in relation to alienation as an ethical-political tension;
2. Orientation: the ambivalent uses of scientific methods for exploration and control;
3. Valuation: the ideal of science as a drive of scientific policies and ideology.

The historical range of case studies will be broad (from ancient Egypt to India, early-modern China, and Europe) in order to enable a long-term perspective on the emergence of scientific practices and reason. This is essential to reflect on the dynamics of scientific developments in general, in order to critically construct an integrated theory of science. The political focus will consist in looking at science in relation to its practical origins and the consequences of its uses.
Teaching materials, abstracts, papers, which will be assigned and shared during the classes and/or through a database.
Evaluation:

Active participation to the classes and final written assignment. The last two meetings of the class will be dedicated to the preparation for the written assignment. In these final meetings, students are expected to prepare and discuss abstracts of the topics they will write about as an assignment for evaluation.
-Experts' introduction to the topics
-Presentations by guests
-Seminarial discussion
-Group work on texts and problematics
-Interdisciplinary and object-oriented debates guided by a group of scholars in political epistemology and assisted by PhD students.
Italian
written and oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development

Definitive programme.
Last update of the programme: 06/01/2019