PHIL 217

PHIL 217: Biology, Society, and Values
Instructor: Danielle Brown

Course Description

The biological and biomedical sciences play an important role in society, and for this reason, are often the subject of debate. Advances in biological and biomedical technologies can challenge many of our social norms and values and may function to change society for better or worse. Therefore, this class approaches science as a social institution and process which both affects and is affected by our social values, which themselves should be subject to careful consideration and interrogation. The goal of this course is to identify and discuss the various ways that science, society, and values influence one another.

This class begins with discussion surrounding recent events relating to COVID-19 regarding issues of public trust in biological and medical contexts and the proper role of these sciences in policy-making. Then we move to the topic of evolutionary psychology, which claims to offer explanations of human social behaviour with the aim of exploring how social values impact our understanding of evolutionary science. Next, we consider the biological bases of categories like race and sex, investigating whether race is a biological or social category, and whether research purporting to demonstrate cognitive differences between the sexes is legitimate. Discussion of such questions culminates in the bigger question of whether science can or should be 'value-free', or, instead, consciously adopt or promote a particular set of social values. Lastly, we move to the domain of mental health, questioning whether the current classification of mental disorders as biomedical entities is appropriate and how social, cultural, and moral factors play into our understanding of disorder.