Physics 361: Science and Culture What is this course about anyways?

Questions I  How does culture affect scientific discovery?  How does scientific discovery affect culture?  How are these coupled and what are the limitations to this kind of feedback?  Why should society even support science?

Questions II  Why should society support science?  What is the economic price of knowledge acquisition? If its too high what do we do?  How can cultural change be measured and explained?  What is the “Truth” and who is its gatekeeper?  What happens when the “Truth” is unacceptable to the masses?

Questions IV What is the connection between Science and Religion? What is the connection between Science and Religion? Is science a system of belief? Is science a system of belief? Is religion a Science? Is religion a Science? What does it mean when we claim to find order in nature? What does it mean when we claim to find order in nature? Is nature really ordered or are we forcing it to appear that way so that we can explain it ? Is nature really ordered or are we forcing it to appear that way so that we can explain it ?

Sub Texts Issues that will permeate throughout the course but may not be addressed explicitly Issues that will permeate throughout the course but may not be addressed explicitly Cooperation versus Competition as the means to achieve the ideal state/government Cooperation versus Competition as the means to achieve the ideal state/government Why do we so easily treat nature as a consumable? Why do we so easily treat nature as a consumable?

More Sub Texts Why do we require certainty in order to make decisions? Why do we require certainty in order to make decisions? What’s wrong with a purely empirical approach? What’s wrong with a purely empirical approach? Has anything really changed for 10,000 years in terms of human behavior and human/institutional structures? Has anything really changed for 10,000 years in terms of human behavior and human/institutional structures? Has science ever impacted the way in which society functions? Has science ever impacted the way in which society functions?