This course describes how science works as a model to inspire better ways of living. We describe the origins of science, the development of the scientific method and what it teaches us about reason, ethics, data, and how to trust (or not) those making statements about what they claim is the “truth.”
We describe the limits of scientific thinking and how they determine how we humans learn and function in the world. Finally, we explore how science teaches humility and intellectual openness, and how it influences the world and our collective future, in particular exploring topics such as AI, bioengineering and genetics, global warming, and other existential risks to our project of civilization.
Exclusive course with limited attendance.
Meet the Professor
Marcelo Gleiser is the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth College, a world-renowned theoretical physicist and public intellectual. He’s authored hundreds of technical and nontechnical papers and essays, and seven books in English translated to 18 languages. His writings explore the historical, religious, and philosophical roots of science, past and modern. Gleiser is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a recipient of the Presidential Faculty Fellows Award from the White House, and founder and past director of the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Engagement at Dartmouth. He co-founded National Public Radio’s 13.7 Science and Culture blog, and currently writes weekly for BigThink.com. He is the 2019 Templeton Prize laureate, an honor he shares with Mother Tereza, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, and scientists Freeman Dyson, Jane Goodall, Sir Martin Rees, and Frank Wilczek.