PHIL 412 - Advanced Topics in Epistemology

Computation
This course surveys the important epistemological roles of computation in philosophy and science, especially concerning complex systems. The course surveys computation theory, and it includes computer laboratory exercises involving programming and computer simulations. Key course topics are illustrated with case studies, such as cellular automata, artificial life, and intelligent robot scientists.

Testimony and Trust
Most knowledge rests, either directly or indirectly, on the testimony of others. But the nature of testimony and its proper role in our epistemic lives remains poorly understood. This course takes up both of the issues just mentioned, as well as related questions of the nature of epistemic authority, the contours of epistemic injustice, and the relation between self-trust and trust in others. We will aim to investigate these general and abstract questions with an eye towards understanding the shifting social epistemic landscape of our own time, including debates over censorship in social media, political polarization, and decentralized systems of knowledge transmission.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group I
Prerequisite(s): Two 300-level PHIL courses
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Repeatable for Credit: May be taken up to 4 times for credit if different topics.
Notes: Not all topics offered every year. Review schedule of classes for availability. This course meets the department’s epistemology requirement.
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Understand how arguments can be made, visions presented, or feelings or ideas conveyed through language or other modes of expression (symbols, movement, images, sounds, etc.).
Analyze and interpret texts, whether literary or philosophical, in English or a foreign language, or works of the visual or performing arts.
Evaluate arguments made in or about texts (whether literary or philosophical, in English or a foreign language, or works of the visual or performing arts).