VVZ API is not affiliated with ETH Zurich. Data might be outdated or incorrect. Please view the official ETHZ Vorlesungsverzeichnis for binding information.
Abstract
At a time of rising military expenditures worldwide and renewed debates about the role of scientific knowledge in warfare, revisiting the historical entanglement of science and the military is particularly urgent. This seminar examines the relationship between scientific knowledge and military institutions from early modernity to the present in the Euro-American context.
Objective
The seminar encourages critical reflection on scientific expertise by situating knowledge production within broader structures of power and examining the effects of militarized forms of rationality on past and contemporary science.
Content
Across the natural and technical sciences, military needs have played a decisive role in organizing the production, evaluation, and institutionalization of knowledge. Through case studies drawn from physics, chemistry, computer science and electrical engineering, mathematics, and sociology, the seminar examines how military demands shaped which problems were considered scientifically relevant, which forms of expertise and knowledge were valued, and how scientific authority was organized and exercised. The course also explores how scientists and researchers strategically mobilized military interests and funding to advance their own intellectual, professional, and political goals. Readings will include historical and sociological studies of science and technology, as well as selected primary sources by scientists, engineers, and government officials.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- DS , MSC
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| seminar | “Now I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds”: Science and the Military | No time listed | 2 h weekly |
Offered In
-
Science in Perspective (In “Science in Perspective”-courses students learn to reflect on ETH’s STEM subjects from the perspective of humanities, political and social sciences. Only the courses listed below will be recognized as "Science in Perspective" courses.)
-
Type A: Enhancement of Reflection Competence (SiP courses are recommended for bachelor students after their first-year examination and for all master- or doctoral students. All SiP courses are listed in Type A. Courses listed under Type B are only recommendations for enrollment for specific departments.)
-
-
-