This course is an examination of the values implicit in a scientific culture and the challenges and opportunities that arise as a result of our commitment to the development of scientific knowledge and technology. This question can be analyzed into three sub questions.
Science is regulated by values of two different kinds.
First, there are epistemic values, which relate to the proper way of establishing scientific knowledge. Second, there are moral values, which tell us what it is morally permissible to do in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. Regarding epistemic values, science is loosely governed by a certain method of inquiry. This is not a foolproof formula for generating scientific truths, but an outline by which scientific hypotheses are formulated and tested. Beyond this method, inquiry is governed by a complex set of social relationships.