We are looking for graduate students who are inspired by their own research, but who are also interested in exploring the social, political, and philosophical context of that work, and who are committed to sharing science with nonscientists, in a genuine hope for a better world.

Click here to learn more about the experiences of the students attending
last year's Debating Science Workshop > >

“The presentations (lectures) were in general, excellent. I also really enjoyed switching venues to the farms one evening and the visits to local areas to break up the time sitting and listening. I felt like my fellow students were incredibly diverse and stellar in their fields. They generally had a real curiosity and genuinely employed critical thinking skills in fields disparate from their own, which strengthens every aspect of the workshop as a whole.”

To solve the toughest problems of the modern world we need to bring together people with all kinds of training and experience. It is clear, however, that experts, the public, and the policy-makers find it harder and harder to communicate effectively due to intellectual specialization. Debating Science seeks to remedy this by teaching us all the skills of cooperative deliberation over issues in science and technology, by sharing ideas and knowledge among scientists, philosophers, and humanists.

This year, we will explore the ethical, scientific, and social dimensions of global climate change, biotechnology, and nanotechnology with an intensive summer workshop in Missoula, Montana and a semester-long online deliberation course in each of the three topic areas. The course is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and will cover the majority of the participants’ travel board, and lodging costs for the workshop.

The workshop features keynote lectures by outstanding leaders in the fields of the philosophy of technology, environmental economics, environmental philosophy and ethics, the policy history of global climate, biotechnology, and nanotechnology.

Learn more about the various aspects of the program:

Announcement     •      Application     •     Courses     •     2008 Speakers     •     Info from 2007      •     Travel and Costs