Universität Wien

180146 VO-L Science and democracy (2022W)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie
Moodle

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Details

Language: German

Examination dates

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Thursday 13.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Thursday 20.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Thursday 27.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Thursday 03.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Thursday 10.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Thursday 17.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Thursday 24.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Thursday 01.12. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Thursday 12.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Thursday 19.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9
  • Thursday 26.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 32 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 9

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The key hypothesis of these lectures follows the "Scientific World Conception", which was defended by logical empiricists such as Rudolf Carnap and Otto Neurath and the legal positivist Hans Kelsen: a democratic order can only prosper if the majority commits themselves to scientific and rational measures of reasoning. Only these measures can be objectively justified, whereas the respective political aims of a state or society are noncognitive and therefore a matter of subjective attitude. This implies that elections rather than expert judgments have to define the political aims of a group.

The lecture series disintegrates in two parts. First, we discuss several empirical approaches from historiography, political science, philosophy and history of science on the history and present state of democracy and science as well as threats such as populism, conspiracy theories, pseudo-science and science denialism. In the second part of these lectures, we outline a philosophical theory of science, democracy, and values, which is based on non-cognitivism as can be found in the Vienna Circle, early logical empiricism, and the democracy theory of Hans Kelsen. This normative conception is getting defended against alternative conceptions and becomes outlined in its potential usefulness for the overcoming of the current crisis of science and democracy.
The lectures are held iin presence. Each lecture is based on a mandatory reading, which will comprise between 50 and 100 pages per week. All texts will be made available online at Moodle. The lectures become possibly also recorded and will be then made available at Moodle. No live streaming is planned.

Assessment and permitted materials

multiple choice test

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

The test not only covers the content of the lectures but will also contain questions on those parts of the mandatory reading that were not addressed during the lectures. For a positive grade, at least 60 percent of the questions must be answered correctly.

Examination topics

The text of the lectures plus mandatory readings, as outlined below.

Reading list

1. Vorlesung (13.10.22): Einführung
Hans Kelsen: Wissenschaft und Demokratie (1937), in: Hans Kelsen, Verteidigung der Demokratie, Tübingen, 2006, 238-247
Rudolf Carnap: Theoretische Fragen und praktische Entscheidungen, Natur und Geist 2, 1934, 257-260
Otto Neurath: Visual Education, in: Elisabeth Nemeth und Friedrich Stadler, Encyclopedia and Utopia. The Life and Work of Otto Neurath (1882-1945), Dordrecht, 1996, 245-335, hier: ch. 1 u. 2, 248-261

2. Vorlesung (20.10.22): Eine kurze Geschichte der Demokratie
David Stasavage, The Decline and Rise of Democracy. A Global History from Antiquity to Today, Princeton, 2020, hier: ch. 1, 9, 12

3. Vorlesung (27.10.22): Demokratie heute und morgen
Robert A. Dahl: On Democracy. Second Edition, New Haven, 2015, hier: Part II und III

4. Vorlesung (3.11.22): Populismus und sterbende Demokratien
Christopher Bickerton, Technopopulism. The New Logic of Democratic Politics, Oxford, 2021, hier: Introduction, ch. 1 und 2

5. Vorlesung (10.11.22): Post Truth 1: Verschwörungstheorien
Joseph E. Ucscinski & Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, Oxford, 2014, hier: ch. 1, 2, 7

6. Vorlesung (17.11.22): Post Truth 2: Denialism, Betrug, Pseudowissenschaft
Naomi Oreskes & Erik M. Conway, Merchants of Doubt. How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, London, 2010, hier: Intro, ch. I, Conclusion, Epilogue

7. Vorlesung (24.11.22): Die wissenschaftliche Weltauffassung
Samir Okasha, Philosophy of Science. A Very Short Introduction. Second Edition, Oxford, 2016, hier: ch. 1-5

8. Vorlesung (8.12.22): Eine non-kognitive Werttheorie
Christian Damböck, The Politics of Carnap‘s Non-Cognitivism and the Scientific World-Conception of Left-Wing Logical Empiricism, Perspectives on Science 30(4), 2022, 493-524
Hans Reichenbach, The Rise of Scientific Philosophy, Berkeley, 1951, hier: ch. 17

9. Vorlesung (12.1.23): Ein non-kognitiver Blick auf die Wissenschaft: Fakten, Werte und Entscheidungen
Heather E. Douglas, Science, Policy, and the Value-Free Ideal, Pittsburgh, 2009, hier: ch. 5
Naomi Oreskes, Why Trust Science?, Princeton, 2019, hier: ch. 1

10. Vorlesung (19.1.23): Kelsens non-kognitive Demokratietheorie
Hans Kelsen, Verteidigung der Demokratie (1932), in: Hans Kelsen, Verteidigung der Demokratie, Tübingen, 2006, 229-237
Kelsen, Foundations of Democracy, Ethics 66, 1955, 1-101, hier: Part I, 1-39

11. Vorlesung (26.1.23): Kritik an kognitiven und postmodernen Demokratiemodellen
Frank Cunningham, Theories of Democracy. A Critical Introduction, London, 2002, hier: ch. 9 und 10

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Th 27.04.2023 13:27