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Semester 2

Philosophy of Technology (PHIL10231)

Subject

Philosophy

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Visiting students must have completed at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above; we will only consider University/College level courses. **Please see Additional Restrictions below**

Course Summary

This course covers major philosophical questions about the nature and ethical implications of technology.

Course Description

This course covers a range of questions in philosophy of technology. Questions that may be covered in a given semester include: Can computers have beliefs or desires or be conscious? How does the social world shape technology and how does technology shape the social world? What is algorithmic bias, and why does it matter? Is it morally acceptable to use autonomous lethal weapons in warfare? Should judges be replaced by AI? Can humans form relationships with robots?

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%

Additional Restrictions

Unless you are nominated on a Philosophy exchange agreement, visiting students are only permitted to enrol in only one 3rd year Philosophy course each, per semester, before the start of the relevant semester’s welcome period – and spaces on each course are limited so cannot be guaranteed for any student. Enrolment in additional courses from this subject area will depend on whether there are still spaces available in the January Welcome Period, and cannot be guaranteed. It is NOT appropriate for students to contact staff within this subject area to ask for an exception to be made; all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. This is due to the extremely limited number of spaces available in this very popular subject area.

view the timetable and further details for this course