Harshvardhan Siddharthan (Harsh) has a B.A. in English Literature from Hindu College, Delhi University and a Masters in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Chicago. His course tackles broad questions of epistemology: how is it that we humans with our finite capacities can come to know things that are so distant, invisible and far removed from us? How can we be sure that our knowledge of these things (that we cannot directly perceive) is valid and accurate? For that matter how can we be sure that our own perception is infallible?
Harsh’s course introduces students to a range of readings from the history, philosophy and anthropology of science. As such his course is also a good opportunity for students to discover how these three disciplines of philosophy, history and anthropology differ both in the questions that they pose and the methods that they adopt to answer their questions. No prior familiarity with science or any of these three disciplines is required to participate in this course.
Harsh is currently interested in tracking and understanding debates emerging around plant consciousness while especially paying attention to the role that desire and aesthetics play in these debates.
