PHIL 331 - (P) Feminist Philosophy of Science

3 cr.

A feminist critique of both the alleged value-free character of modern science and the positivist philosophy of science supporting this view. The course thus focuses on feminist arguments for the contextual, i.e., social, political and economic, nature of science and the resulting need to rethink such key concepts as objectivity, evidence, and truth in light of androcentrism and gender bias. Consideration is also given to critical responses from feminist and nonfeminist defenders of more traditional accounts of science.