Module overview
Human understanding comes in many forms, though science in particular is often today lauded as its highest form. But what is science, and how does it differ from other forms of human understanding? What distinctive challenges arise for science when—in the social sciences—it turns its focus back upon ourselves? And what will science not tell us? Is there a place for distinctive forms of understanding that art, literature and the humanities can provide? These questions raise many further issues, such as whether our efforts to understand our world are always value-laden, what part identifying general laws might play in those efforts, and what kinds of objectivity any of these efforts might achieve. This module will explore some of these profound issues.