Sparking Science & Ethics - 19th century electrical experiments and the ongoing debate on ethical limits in science - Einzelansicht

It is still possible to register for the course! If you are interested, please send an e-mail to alexander.stoeger@uni-saarland.de to get a brief overview and all the necessary information to participate. [12.01.2024]

In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote one of the most famous 19^th-century novels on what today is often depicted as a fantastic story of scientific madness and horror: Frankenstein. The idea to create a creature from human body parts and revive it with a lightning stroke is a classic horror trope that has yet to become old. It is based, however, on the very real efforts of an Italian scientist called Giovanni Aldini, who conducted experiments on the electrical impulses within muscles and nerves, often referred to at that time as Galvanism. Aldini did not seek to create a monster but instead hoped to find ways to revive the drowned and better understand the human nervous system. So, Shelley’s Frankenstein and today’s heart defibrillator are based on these same early experiments.

In this course, we will discuss how the public perception of science influences scientific experiments and have a look at one of the earliest modern Western debates on science ethics. Based on this, we will discuss how far scientifical efforts should be allowed to go from an ethical perspective. We will also analyse how the different media influenced the audience’s view and what short- and long-term consequences this had for the research and understanding of galvanic experiments. Eventually, we will discuss the possible connections between science communication, ethical concerns, and the perception of science within modern society. This course gives an introduction to early modern scientific debates and the development of experimental science and public perception. You will learn to interpret different (historical) media and set them into context within a more extensive, critical debate. You will also get the chance to practise presenting to your colleagues, giving and receiving feedback in a small group, and improving your language skills.

Schedule

07.12.2023 - Kick-off meeting (online)

19.02.2024 - Seminar session 1

21.02.2024 - Seminar session 2

22.02.2024 - Seminar session 3

Literature

• Dyck, Erika & Stewart, Larry (2016), ”Introduction”, In The Uses of Humans in Experiment. Perspectives from the 17^th to the 20^th Century, Erika Dyck & Larry Stewart (eds.) (Leiden: Brill Rodopi), 1-27.
• Iliffe, Rob (2016), ”Galvanic Humans”, In The Uses of Humans in Experiment. Perspectives from the 17^th to the 20^th Century, Erika Dyck & Larry Stewart (eds.) (Leiden: Brill Rodopi), 52-79.
• Cambiaghi, Marco & Parent, André (2018), ”From Aldini’s galvanisation of human bodies to the Modern Prometheus”, In Medicina historica 2 (1), 27-37.

To participate, you do not need any background knowledge in the history of science or historical studies. The source material will be available in a PDF reader to download.
The seminar consist of: meetings on campus, self-study reading, presentation and written summary.

Please note that the entire course is held in English.

1 Page source description + presentation, written summary