What are the new forms of ethical, social and political interaction that the Internet enables? What new ways of knowing and practices of scientific research emerge in an Internet-focused context? What old forms does it render obsolete, problematic, or perhaps even impossible? This course focuses primarily on engaging some of the most pressing social, ethical and political problems posed by the Internet. The course will also cover some of the epistemological, metaphysical, and ontological difficulties and challenges raised by the Internet. While the course will consider ways in which philosophy might enable us to respond to these problems, the aim will not be to deliver definitive solutions by the end of the course. The focus rather will be on the preliminary, challenging and critical task of finding ways to articulate the problems emerging around us. What we need are concepts that help us understand the massive transformations we are all living in the midst of. Since philosophy involves, among other things, the practice of inventing, analyzing and criticizing concepts, the goal of the course will be to practice philosophy for the sake of better understanding the contemporary world in which we live.

The practice of philosophy in this course will involve both traditional methods (the reading of texts, the discussion of ideas, the analysis of cultural phenomena) and newer collaborative methods facilitated by our increasingly web-based world (online and in-class collaborative research projects, the opportunity to develop an individual research project in an online context). The goal is to both expose the Internet to traditional philosophical analysis and to expose philosophical practice to new Internet technologies and practices.

As a course that will satisfy the Group 2 (Social Science) general education requirement, Internet, Society & Philosophy will present a variety of approaches to studying contemporary social phenomena, with a focus on the Internet and new media as the privileged topics for this course. The course will present students with a representative cross-section of philosophical perspectives and modes of analysis used by philosophers and social scientists working in the field. Readings will be drawn primarily from philosophy, but will also include selections by legal theorists, political scientists, sociologists, and various areas in cultural studies. Students who successfully complete the course will have an understanding of what makes the Internet a worthy topic of philosophical investigation; an understanding of recent theoretical developments in the field of Internet students; improved reading, writing and critical thinking skills; and awareness of contemporary political, ethical, legal and policy issues.

Details:

• Course number: PHIL 123
• Course title: Internet, Society, and Philosophy
• Term: Fall 2023
• CRN: 14190
• Counts for DH Minor as: Lower-Division Elective

View this course in the UO Schedule.