Undergraduate Course: Information, Control, Society (PHIL10268)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course examines difficult conceptual analyses of information and their implications for issues in cognitive science, epistemology, technology ethics and AI. There is a special focus on the role of information flow in controlling human actions and (re-)structuring society. Course content divides roughly into two units. In the first unit, we cover the use of information as a foundational concept for grounding theories of knowledge and mental representation. In the second unit, we examine the way information flow in new media is harnessed to control our actions and the ethical issues that arise. Specific topics change yearly to reflect current events and technology. Sample questions covered include: How does the algorithmic structure of social media accelerate the spread of disinformation? How does generative AI change our perspective on human creativity? and How do ethical obligations differ between traditional and information warfare? |
| Course description |
This course addresses philosophical questions around information of two different kinds. The first half of the course considers information as a passive resource flowing through nature, and thereby potentially grounding theories of knowledge, inference, and mental representation. Topics covered in this unit of the course typically include Shannon information, semantic information, the distinction between natural and non-natural meaning, and the factivity (or not) of information.
The second unit considers the active role of information flow as it mediates human interactions on the internet, and how this active role interacts with cognitive biases to change our behavior, our interests, and our obligations. Topics will change from year to year to reflect current events, technological innovations, and student interest. Topics covered in recent years include: the role of social media in the spread of disinformation and fake news; political and ethical implications of the economic structure of the internet, including surveillance capitalism; information warfare; and the epistemology of Wikipedia.
In the final paper, students will be encouraged to pursue their own interests in information, combining distinctions and insights about information introduced in the course with their own relevant background experience through a self-designed research topic.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed
Logic 2: Modal Logics (PHIL10162)
Students MUST have passed:
Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014) AND
Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students studying on MA Cognitive Science (Humanities) are permitted to take this course without having met the pre-requisites of Mind, Matter and Language and Knowledge and Reality. However, it is advisable that students discuss the suitability of the course with their Student Adviser and the Course Organiser before enrolling. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have completed at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. **Please note that honours Philosophy courses are high-demand, meaning that they have a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited number of spaces.** These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
At home test (asynchronous, open book, extensions restricted) - 35%
Weekly worksheets - 5%
Final essay - 60% |
| Feedback |
In-class discussions of worksheets; written feedback on midsemester test looks forward to final paper; one-on-one meetings to discuss final paper topics; optional feedback on outline/essay plan for final paper. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Articulate and defend a philosophical analysis of information.
- Define and critically contrast Shannon information and semantic information.
- Critically discuss whether information is factive.
- Explain and evaluate relevant notions of information for ethical questions arising on the internet.
- Articulate and critically assess the relationship between physical and informational aspects of the world.
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Reading List
General Background Reading:
- Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Information (2016), ed. Floridi, Routledge
- Philosophy of Information (2008), ed. Adriaans, van Benthem, Elsevier North Holland
- Philosophical Introduction to Probability (2005), Maria Carla Giovatti, CSLI
- The Philosophy of Information (2013), Floridi, OUP
- The Ethics of Information (2015), Floridi, OUP
Sample essential readings:
(examples for reference, mandatory readings change from year to year)
- Weaver, W. (1949) "Recent Contributions to the Mathematical Theory of Communication"
- Dretske, F. I. (1983) 'Precis of Knowledge and the Flow of Infomation' (+ commentaries), Behavioral and Brain Sciences 6: 55-90.
- Millikan, R. (2013). 'Natural information, intentional signs and animal communication.' In U. Stegmann (Ed.), Animal communication theory: Information and influence (pp. 133-146). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Stegmann, U. (2015) "Prospects for Probabilistic Theories of Natural Information" Erkenntnis 80: 869-893
- Israel, D. and Perry, J. (1990) 'What is Information?' In Philip P. Hanson (ed.), Information, Language and Cognition. University of British Columbia Press.
- Floridi, L. . (2005) 'Is Semantic Information Meaningful Data?' Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 70(2): 351-370.
- Fetzer, J. H. (2004) "Information: Does it Have to be True?" Minds and Machines 14: 223-229.
- Fallis, D. (2015) "What is Disinformation?" Library Trends 63: 401-426.
- Gelfert, A. (2018) "Fake News: A Definition" Informal Logic 38: 84-117
- Dibbell, J. (1993) 'A Rape in Cyberspace' The Village Voice
- Wolfendale, J. (2007) "My avatar, my self: Virtual harm and attachment" Ethics and Information Technology 9:111-119
- Schechtman, M. (2012) "The Story of my (Second) Life: Virtual Worlds and Narrative Identity" Philosophy of Technology 25:329-343
- Zuboff, S. (2019) The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Profile Books. pp. v ("the definition"), 8-14, 63-97 (Ch.3), 232-253 (ch.8), 292-327 (ch.10)
- Deutsch, D. (2002) 'It from Qubit' |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will prepare for class, managing their time effectively by reading and filling in weekly worksheets. In class, there is extensive small group discussion, allowing students to practice expressing themselves verbally, debate, and exposing themselves to new opinions and perspectives. The final project is a research paper on a topic chosen by the student, encouraging them to research autonomously, challenge themselves to develop novel arguments, and to express their ideas effectively in writing. This course focuses on some topics, including current events and new technology, which are philosophically important but as yet have no, or only little, philosophy written about them. We explicitly discuss, and students learn through practice, how to develop philosophical arguments on new topics such as these.
Core skills gained or developed on this course:
Being open to different perspectives; Challenging own perspectives and assumptions; Critical thinking; Critical analysis and evaluation; Ethics and research ethics; Formulating original arguments and justifying it; Independence; Oral communication (discussion, debating respectfully, influencing); Preparation, planning and organisation; Academic reading skills; Problem solving; Report writing; Research skills; Self-reflection; Taking initiative; Written communication; Writing clearly and concisely; Workload management; Time management; Understanding broader perspectives. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Alistair Isaac
Tel: (0131 6)51 5174
Email: A.M.C.Isaac@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Cameron Findlay
Tel:
Email: cameron.findlay@ed.ac.uk |
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