Science and Society: history of science, ethics, critical thinking

In today's society, science is at the heart of many ethical, economic and societal issues. The aim of this course is to get students to reflect on their knowledge and practices through a historical approach to the construction of knowledge, and through reflections on the bioethical aspects of science, the place of researchers in society, and the relationship between science and society. The aim is to make students more aware of how to use scientific arguments in society, and to develop their critical faculties. In other words, it's an open-minded UE, enabling students to take a broader view while maintaining a scientific approach, in other words, "taking their heads off the handlebars".

- 7CM = 10.5h for History of Science, pan-historical and pan-geographical approach

- 4 CM = 6h to introduce the concepts of bioethics and the critical approach that will be needed for debates (controversy methodology, complexity, issues, arguments of authority).

- 2CM= 3h on the role of scientists in society (historical approach and discussion of possible pitfalls)

- 2TD= 3h on cognitive biases, notions of epistemology, language traps, and notion of proof, major types of erroneous reasoning

- 4 sessions of 2TD= 4x3h= 12h of debates on themes at the heart of scientific and societal controversies: GMOs, Vaccination, Pharmacogenetics and genetic testing, Endocrine disruptors, Feeding the planet, Demographic challenge, Climate change, Transhumanism, Cloning and assisted reproduction, Animal experimentation, Neuroscience and marketing, Biological warfare, Nanotechnologies, ... Starting with a press article, students work in groups to produce a presentation (to be included in the assessment), the aim of which is to provide a historical context, present opposing points of view with arguments (ethical and scientific arguments), and then lead a debate. Each debate session (3h) will have a theme, and researchers or ECs will be invited to take part in the jury and propose a summary at the end.

Working in groups for the duration of the course, students will produce a bibliographical synthesis on a topic of their choice, with a well-constructed argument, illustrated with carefully chosen examples, placing the subject in the context of the history of science and bioethical considerations. The idea is not just to give the history of a subject, but on the contrary to insist on the links with the progression of scientific knowledge and the ethical questions raised.

- Know how knowledge is formed in different disciplines (hypotheses, experimental results, polemical results, mathematical theorems, scientific facts, theories, paradigms).

- Learn the basics of the history of science

- Know how to search for and extract information critically, prioritize sources of information and identify their reliability, and produce a summary.

- Make the links between knowledge of organism biology, evolutionary biology and ecology, and bioethical, economic and social issues.

- Successful project management within a group

- Be able to develop a logical argument with a critical mind (limits, confrontation with the biblio, defense of a point of view)