Philosophy and Technology

Fall 2020 Section 01: MWF 9am

Section 02: MWF 10am

Syllabus

Instructor Office Hours

Chad Vance MW 11am-noon

cvance@wm.edu (and by appointment)

What Is This Class About?

In this course, we will look at a number of important philosophical issues that

have arisen in the wake of the many advancements in technology that have
either already been made, or will be made within your lifetime. For instance, we
will ask the following sorts of questions:

 What is technology?
 Could we upload our minds into a simulation and live forever?
 Are we in a computer simulation right now?
 Will robots ever be truly conscious?
 Is your iphone a part of your mind?
 Would it be wrong to genetically enhance ourselves? Or clone ourselves?
 Should we grow meat in labs instead of factory-farms?
 Can sex in a video game, or with a robot, ever be wrong?
 Should we geoengineer the planet to combat climate change?
 Should machines make life and death decisions?
 What ethical commands should driverless cars be given?
 Does technology make our lives better, or worse?

Throughout our exploration of these questions, our primary goal will be to make
you a better reasoner; i.e., someone who (i) is able to think carefully and
critically, (ii) is able to supply reasons for their beliefs, and (iii) has acquired the
necessary tools to further investigate these issues for themselves.

Assigned Readings

A Pocket Style Manual, by Diana Hacker & Nancy Sommers, 6th ed. or newer.

Other assigned readings will be provided as pdf files, accessible under

“Assigned Readings” on our course website, here:

http://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil150w/phil150.html
Course Requirements
1. Exams (26%). You will take a mid-term exam (11%) and a final exam (15%).

2. Papers (31%). You will write two papers. The first will be a short diagnostic paper,
600-900 words (i.e., 2 - 3 pages), consisting of a rough draft (5%) and a revised draft
(10%), which you will complete after receiving instructor comments. The second (15%)
will be a longer paper, 1200-1800 words in length (i.e., 4 - 6 pages), which you will
complete after receiving (and giving) peer comments on a draft (1%).

3. Reading Responses (10%). Ten times, and no more than once per week, you will
write an informal reading response paper of 250-350 words (roughly 1 page). (1% each)
If you like, you may elect to write an 11th response paper to replace your lowest score.

4. Online Quizzes (14%). For each of the days with assigned reading(s), you will take a
short quiz on those reading(s) before class begins (29 in all). Your lowest quiz score will
be dropped; i.e., your 28 best scores will each constitute 0.5% of your final grade.

5. Discussion Mondays (14%). Twice, in small groups, you will become informed about
a morally controversial issue in technology. Your team will write a short report about it,
and then guide an informal in-class discussion on that issue. (7% each)

6. In-Class Participation (5%). A portion of your grade will depend on your ability to
come to class (on time and prepared), participate in class discussion, and refrain from
being disruptive or disengaged, or falling asleep, texting, using the internet, etc.

Course Policies
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions can be found here: http://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/faq.pdf
Two notes: (1) You are responsible for reading the FAQ by the end of the first week of class. (2) Please consult this syllabus
and the FAQ first, whenever you have a question about the course.

Academic Integrity
All students of the College of William & Mary are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity honor
code policy of this institution. Violations of this policy include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty,
fabrication, lying, and stealing. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Council. More
information about the honor code can be found at:
wm.edu/offices/deanofstudents/services/studentconduct/studenthandbook/honor_system/index.php

NOTE: Students who are found to be in violation of the honor code will be subject to both academic sanctions from the
faculty member (i.e., you will automatically receive an F for the course) as well as non-academic sanctions (which
include academic probation, suspension, or expulsion).

Student Conduct
Students and faculty each have a responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to
adhere to the code of conduct may be subject to discipline. More information at:
wm.edu/offices/deanofstudents/services/studentconduct/studenthandbook/student_code_of_conduct/index.php

Disability & Accessibility Services

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability or any issue affecting accessibility, please submit to me a
letter from Accessibility Services in a timely manner so that your needs may be addressed. More info can be found in the
Campus Center (room 109), 757-221-2510, or at: wm.edu/offices/deanofstudents/services/studentaccessibilityservices/.

Religious Observances
Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to reasonably and fairly deal with
all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments, or required
attendance. Please let me know by the end of the drop/add period about any such conflicts, so that we can resolve
them. More information at: wm.edu/about/administration/provost/forfacstaff/holidays/religiousguidelines/index.php.

Discrimination and Harassment

The College of William & Mary policies on Discrimination and Sexual Harassment apply to all students, staff, and
faculty. Any student, staff, or faculty member who believes s/he has been the subject of sexual harassment and/or
discrimination based upon race, sex, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, religious belief, political belief, disability,
veteran status, age, or any other category protected by the Commonwealth or by federal law should contact the
Office of Compliance and Equity on the first floor of James Blair Hall. More information about discrimination and
harassment can be found at: wm.edu/offices/compliance/policies/student_discim_policies/index.php
 Course Schedule

Below is a schedule of the topics that we will cover, along with list of the
reading(s) which you should complete before each class meeting. In particular,
please note the due dates for papers, exams, and discussion days.1

Unit One Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Technology

Week 1 Introduction or, What is technology?
Wed 8/19 Introduction  Listen: Chalmers, Philosophy Bites: The Singularity
Fri 8/21 Defining ‘Technology’  Dusek, “What is Technology?”
Week 2 Knowledge & Skepticism or, Am I living in a computer simulation?
 Descartes, “Meditations, I and II”
Mon 8/24 External World Skepticism  Nagel, “How Do We Know Anything?” and
“Other Minds”
 Dupré, “The Brain in a Vat”
Wed 8/26 The Brain in the Vat  Moore, “Proof of an External World”
 Bostrom, “Why the Probability that You are Living
Fri 8/28 The Simulation Argument in a Matrix is Quite High”
 Chalmers, “The Matrix as Metaphysics” (excerpt)
Week 3 Identity & Immortality or, Can I upload myself and live forever?
Mon 8/31 Echo Chambers  Nguyen, “Escape the Echo Chamber” (listen here)
Wed 9/2 Material Identity  Dupré, “The Ship of Theseus”
 Perry, “Dialogue on Personal Identity and
Fri 9/4 Personal Identity Immortality”
Week 4 Artificial Intelligence or, Will machines ever be conscious?
Mon 9/7 Uploading & Identity I  Chalmers, “Uploading & Personal Identity” (pt 1)
 Nagel, “The Mind-Body Problem”
Wed 9/9 Body and Soul  Review: Descartes, “Meditation II”
 Searle, “The Chinese Room”
Fri 9/11 Artificial Intelligence  Block, “The China Brain”
Week 5 Extended Cognition or, Is my iphone a part of my mind?
 Nagel, “What Is It Like To Be A Bat?”
Mon 9/14 Property Dualism  Jackson, “The Qualia Problem”
 Chalmers, “Uploading and Consciousness”
Wed 9/16 Uploading & Identity II  Chalmers, “Uploading & Personal Identity” (pt 2)
Extended Minds
Fri 9/18  Clark & Chalmers, “The Extended Mind”
Due: Paper 1 (DRAFT)

1 Due to the condensed semester, there will be three make-up sessions outside of regular class hours.

Recordings of (1) and (3) will be available afterward for those students not able to attend the sessions
synchronously. These additional sessions will be as follows:
(1) Friday, 9/18 (11am): Mid-Term Review Session
(2) Wednesday, 11/4 (any time): Peer Feedback Exercise
(3) Friday, 11/13 (11am): Final Exam Review Session
Unit Two Ethics and Technology
Week 6 Cloning & The Good Life or, What makes life good? and Is cloning okay?
Mon 9/21 Mid-Term Exam No readings
Wed 9/23 What Things Are Good?  Nozick, “The Experience Machine”
Human Cloning
Fri 9/25  Kass, “Preventing a Brave New World”
Due: Paper 1 (FINAL)
Week 7 Genetic Engineering or, Should humans be re-designed?
 Glover, “What Sort of People Should There Be?”
Mon 9/28 Genetic Enhancement  Glannon, Genetic Enhancement”
 Bostrom, “The Fable of the Dragon Tyrant” and
Wed 9/30 Life Extension “The Ethics of Life-Extension”
 Williams, “The Makropulos Case”
Fri 10/2 Goodness & Immortality  Fischer, “Why Immortality is Not So Bad”
Week 8 Animals, part 1 or, Is factory-farming okay?
Mon 10/5 DISCUSSION: Facial Recognition No readings
Wed 10/7 Animal Experimentation  Cohen, “The Case for the Use of Animals”
Fri 10/9 Factory-Farmed Meat  Norcross, “Puppies, Pigs, and People”
Week 9 Animals, part 2 or, Should meat be grown in labs?
Mon 10/12 DISCUSSION: Social Media Content No readings
 Shriver, “Knocking Out Pain in Livestock: Can
Technology Succeed Where Morality Has
Stalled?” (excerpt)
Wed 10/14 Animal Disenhancement  Thompson, “The Opposite of Human
Enhancement: Nanotechnology and the Blind
Chicken Problem” (excerpt)
 Hopkins & Dacey, “Could Technology Save
Fri 10/16 Cultured (In Vitro) Meat Animals and Satisfy Meat-Eaters?” (excerpt)
 Milburn, “Chewing Over In Vitro Meat” (excerpt)
Week 10 Virtual Sins or, Can we have sex with robots?
Mon 10/19 DISCUSSION: Predictive Algorithms No readings
Wed 10/21 Video Games  Luck, “The Gamer’s Dilemma”
 Danaher, “The Symbolic Consequences
Fri 10/23 Sex Robots Argument in the Sex Robot Debate”
Week 11 Geoengineering, Killer Robots or, Engineer the climate? and Should robots kill?
Mon 10/26 DISCUSSION: Digital Contact Tracing No readings
 Gardiner, “Is Arming the Future With
Wed 10/28 Geoengineering Geoengineering Really the Lesser Evil?”
Fri 10/30 Autonomous Weapons  Sparrow, “Killer Robots”
Week 12 Autonomous Vehicles or, What moral principles to give driverless cars?
Mon 11/2 DISCUSSION: Resource Allocation No readings
Due: Paper 2 (DRAFT)
Wed 11/4 No readings
The Trolley Problem
 Jenkins, “Autonomous Vehicles, Ethics, and
Fri 11/6 Driverless Car Ethics Law: Toward an Overlapping Consensus”
Week 13 Technology & Well-Being or, Does technology make life better or worse?
Mon 11/9 DISCUSSION: Outsourcing Risk No readings
The Paradox of Choice
Wed 11/11  Schwartz, The Paradox of Choice (excerpt)
Due: Paper 2 (FINAL)
 Parfit, Bostrom, Hawking, Gates, & Musk
Fri 11/13 The Singularity & Existential Risk (selected readings and videos)
Fri 11/20 Final Exam: 9am – noon Section 01 (9am class)
Mon 11/23 Final Exam: 2pm – 5pm Section 02 (10am class)