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Climate thinking: Science, Decisions, and the Public

This course offers an introduction to climate science itself together with introduction to basic areas of the philosophy of science, and applies basic philosophy of science theories and concepts to climate science.

It also presents basic economic and ethical aspects of responses to climate change. Finally, it discusses the issue of trust in, and resistance to, (climate) science, from both epistemological and psychological perspectives.

The course consists of the following blocks:

• Introduction to climate science

• Climate and philosophy of science

• Climate decisions

• Climate and public (dis-)trust

Topics discussed during the course are:

• Processes controlling the Earth’s climate. Global climate and Earth System models. Past and future climate change. Attribution science.

• Theory and empirical testing; truth and viability in science; probabilistic assessment of scientific theories and hypotheses; reductionism and its limits; scientific modelling, projection vs. prediction; idealization; robustness analysis; butterfly/hawkmoth effect; how the model outputs feed into the IPCC reports.

• Challenges that extreme uncertainty raises for economic models of climate policy; difficulties of using cost-benefit analysis when faced with potentially catastrophic climate change; economists’ standard solutions to the climate challenge and their (dis-) advantages.

• Trust in science; its role in society; strategies for undermining it; epistemological and psychological aspects of knowledge resistance.

  • Course structure

    Lecturers 
    James Nguyen (examiner)
    Kathrin Glüer-Pagin
    Kevin Noone
    Orri Stefansson
    Åsa Wikforss

    Learning platform Athena
    There will be a course-page on Stockholm University’s learning platform Athena. Admitted students who have activated their student accounts and been registered will automatically be added to the Athena-page. 

    Reading assignments, a detailed lecture plan etc. will be posted on the Athena-page.

    Language of instruction
    English.

    Teaching format:
    Online course. No physical attendance required. 
    Lectures will be conducted via Zoom. 

    Learning outcomes and grading
    See syllabus.

    Examination
    The course is examined on the basis of an online examination.

    Comment on course literature
    The readings for the course are listed in the document below. The majority of the texts are freely available online or will be available to registered students via the University library.
    We endeavour to make all readings freely available to registered students. We will update this page one month before the course begins if there are any readings that students will have to purchase or borrow.

  • Schedule

    The schedule will be available no later than one month before the start of the course. We do not recommend print-outs as changes can occur. At the start of the course, your department will advise where you can find your schedule during the course.

  • Course literature

    Note that the course literature can be changed up to two months before the start of the course.

  • Contact

    Examiner: James Nguyen james.nguyen@philosophy.su.se

    Student office: info@philosophy.su.se

    Director of studies: Sama Agahi sama.agahi@philosophy.su.se

    Study councelling: studievagledning@philosophy.su.se
     

Selected reading

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