Science Saves

Some of the most significant and influential imaginings about the future have come out of religious movements. Today the scales of authoritative power to inform us about our collective futures seem to have shifted, many would say properly so, in favor of the sciences. Promises about the future, however, are never just predictions which may or may not come to pass. They are claims to power and authority (who has the power to describe and create the future), expressions of values (what kinds of dispositions, attitudes, and behaviors are considered proper in this future), and producers of future social worlds (who is permitted to participate in this future). Whether or not science discourses are attuned to it, the sciences have learned a lot from religion when it comes to selling salvation. Therefore, we do well to study the various intersections of science, technology, society, and religion. In this course, we will examine the utopian claims of science and technology, both past and present, to explore and understand how that authority is produced and structured, the kinds of values encoded within these claims, and the people, things, entities, and institutions who are included in or excluded from these potential futures. This course specifically aims to equip students with the ability to discern claims about the future, understand what is lurking between the lines, critically examine its consequences and intentions, and contextualize such claims about the future within alternative or competing claims, all in the hope that such critical attention produces visions of the future, and assemblages of science and technology, which are more democratic, just, and equitable.