The Paradox Of Scientific Authority

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The Paradox of Scientific Authority

Author : Wiebe E. Bijker,Roland Bal,Ruud Hendriks
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 238 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780262026581

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The Paradox of Scientific Authority by Wiebe E. Bijker,Roland Bal,Ruud Hendriks Pdf

Assessing the influence of scientific advice in societies that increasingly question scientific authority and expertise. Today, scientific advice is asked for (and given) on questions ranging from stem-cell research to genetically modified food. And yet it often seems that the more urgently scientific advice is solicited, the more vigorously scientific authority is questioned by policy makers, stakeholders, and citizens. This book examines a paradox: how scientific advice can be influential in society even when the status of science and scientists seems to be at a low ebb. The authors do this by means of an ethnographic study of the creation of scientific authority at one of the key sites for the interaction of science, policy, and society: the scientific advisory committee. The Paradox of Scientific Authority offers a detailed analysis of the inner workings of the influential Health Council of the Netherlands (the equivalent of the National Academy of Science in the United States), examining its societal role as well as its internal functioning, and using the findings to build a theory of scientific advising. The question of scientific authority has political as well as scholarly relevance. Democratic political institutions, largely developed in the nineteenth century, lack the institutional means to address the twenty-first century's pervasively scientific and technological culture; and science and technology studies (STS) grapples with the central question of how to understand the authority of science while recognizing its socially constructed nature.

The Great Paradox of Science

Author : Mano Singham
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 321 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2019-12-18
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780190055059

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The Great Paradox of Science by Mano Singham Pdf

Science has revolutionized our lives and continues to show inexorable progress today. It may seem obvious that this must be because its theories are steadily getting better and approaching the truth about the world. After all, what could science be progressing toward, if not the truth? But scholarship in the history, philosophy, and sociology of science offers little support for such a sanguine view. Those opposed to specific conclusions of the scientific community-nonbelievers in vaccinations, climate change, and evolution, for example-have been able to use a superficial understanding of the nature of science to sow doubt about the scientific consensus in those areas, leaving the general public confused as to whom to trust, with damaging effects for the health of individuals and the planet. The Great Paradox of Science argues that to better counter such anti-science efforts requires us to understand the nature of scientific knowledge at a much deeper level and dispel many myths and misconceptions. It is the use of scientific logic, the characteristics of which are elaborated on in the book, that enables the scientific community to arrive at reliable consensus judgments in which the public can retain a high degree of confidence. This scientific logic is applicable not just in science but can be used in all areas of life. Scientists, policymakers, and members of the general public will not only better understand why science works: They will also acquire the tools they need to make sound, rational decisions in all areas of their lives.

The Cultural Authority of Science

Author : Martin W Bauer,Petra Pansegrau,Rajesh Shukla
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 394 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2018-09-24
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781351670715

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The Cultural Authority of Science by Martin W Bauer,Petra Pansegrau,Rajesh Shukla Pdf

The cultural authority of science is the authority that is granted to science in any particular context. This authority is as much a matter of image and perceived legitimacy as of statutory guarantee. However, while authority can be charismatic, based on tradition or based on competence, we would assume that science aims to be an authority of competence. To what extent does science have the last word, or stand above opinion on public issues? This Indo-European led collaboration aims to map the cultural authority of science, and to construct a system of indicators to observe this ‘science culture’ based on artefacts (science news analysis) and espoused beliefs and evaluations (public attitude data). Indeed, through a series of studies the authors examine the cultural authority of science in light of the challenges posed by European, Asian, African and American developments and debates. In particular, two main ideas are examined: the ‘Lighthouse’ model, whereby science is shining into a stormy sea of ignorance and mistrust; and the ‘Bungee Jump’ model, which demonstrates how science occasionally experiences a rough ride against a backdrop of goodwill. Presenting expertise in discourse analysis, computer-assisted text analysis and largescale survey analysis, The Cultural Authority of Science will be of interest to a global audience concerned with the standing of science in society. In particular, it may appeal to scholars and students of fields such as sociology of science, science communication, science studies, scientometrics, innovation studies and social psychology.

Politics and Expertise

Author : Zeynep Pamuk
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2021-12-21
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780691218939

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Politics and Expertise by Zeynep Pamuk Pdf

A new model for the relationship between science and democracy that spans policymaking, the funding and conduct of research, and our approach to new technologies Our ability to act on some of the most pressing issues of our time, from pandemics and climate change to artificial intelligence and nuclear weapons, depends on knowledge provided by scientists and other experts. Meanwhile, contemporary political life is increasingly characterized by problematic responses to expertise, with denials of science on the one hand and complaints about the ignorance of the citizenry on the other. Politics and Expertise offers a new model for the relationship between science and democracy, rooted in the ways in which scientific knowledge and the political context of its use are imperfect. Zeynep Pamuk starts from the fact that science is uncertain, incomplete, and contested, and shows how scientists’ judgments about what is significant and useful shape the agenda and framing of political decisions. The challenge, Pamuk argues, is to ensure that democracies can expose and contest the assumptions and omissions of scientists, instead of choosing between wholesale acceptance or rejection of expertise. To this end, she argues for institutions that support scientific dissent, proposes an adversarial “science court” to facilitate the public scrutiny of science, reimagines structures for funding scientific research, and provocatively suggests restricting research into dangerous new technologies. Through rigorous philosophical analysis and fascinating examples, Politics and Expertise moves the conversation beyond the dichotomy between technocracy and populism and develops a better answer for how to govern and use science democratically.

Who Speaks for Nature?

Author : Laura Ephraim
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
Page : 200 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780812249811

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Who Speaks for Nature? by Laura Ephraim Pdf

Introduction. The Science Question in Political Theory -- Earth to Arendt -- Vico's World of Nature -- Descartes and Democracy -- Hobbes's Worldly Geometry of Politics -- Epilogue. Science and Politics at the End of the World

Reflections on Society and Academia

Author : Marcel Herbst
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2018-12-14
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781527523388

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Reflections on Society and Academia by Marcel Herbst Pdf

This anthology assembles notes that address a wider spectrum of concern within the social sciences, as well as higher education and design and planning issues. The essays, articles and book reviews gathered here allow for an easy, and holistic, assessment of publications that cover various themes and were written during the past two decades. In addition, four chapters specifically written for this volume are included, two dealing with academic productivity, and the remaining two addressing aspects of economics and issues of design.

The Science of Bureaucracy

Author : David Demortain
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 453 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2020-01-21
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780262356688

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The Science of Bureaucracy by David Demortain Pdf

How the US Environmental Protection Agency designed the governance of risk and forged its legitimacy over the course of four decades. The US Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970 to protect the public health and environment, administering and enforcing a range of statutes and programs. Over four decades, the EPA has been a risk bureaucracy, formalizing many of the methods of the scientific governance of risk, from quantitative risk assessment to risk ranking. Demortain traces the creation of these methods for the governance of risk, the controversies to which they responded, and the controversies that they aroused in turn. He discusses the professional networks in which they were conceived; how they were used; and how they served to legitimize the EPA. Demortain argues that the EPA is structurally embedded in controversy, resulting in constant reevaluation of its credibility and fueling the evolution of the knowledge and technologies it uses to produce decisions and to create a legitimate image of how and why it acts on the environment. He describes the emergence and institutionalization of the risk assessment–risk management framework codified in the National Research Council's Red Book, and its subsequent unraveling as the agency's mission evolved toward environmental justice, ecological restoration, and sustainability, and as controversies over determining risk gained vigor in the 1990s. Through its rise and fall at the EPA, risk decision-making enshrines the science of a bureaucracy that learns how to make credible decisions and to reform itself, amid constant conflicts about the environment, risk, and its own legitimacy.

A Question of Time

Author : Scientific American Editors
Publisher : Scientific American
Page : 193 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2012-11-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781466824188

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A Question of Time by Scientific American Editors Pdf

A Question of Time: The Ultimate Paradox by the Editors of Scientific American "What time is it?" That simple question is probably asked more often in contemporary society than ever before. In our clock-studded world, the answer is never more than a glance away, and so we can blissfully partition our days into ever smaller increments for ever more tightly scheduled tasks. Modern scientific revelations about time, however, make the question endlessly frustrating. If we seek a precise knowledge of the time, the infinitesimal flash of now dissolves into a scattering flock of nanoseconds. Because we are bound by the speed of light and the velocity of nerve impulses, our perception of the "present" reflects the world as it occurred an instant ago – for all that human consciousness pretends otherwise, we can never catch up. Even in principle, perfect synchronicity escapes us. Relativity dictates that, like a strange syrup, time flows slower on moving trains than in the stations and faster in the mountains than in the valleys. The time for our wristwatch is not exactly the same as the time for our head. This eBook, A Question of Time, summarizes what science has discovered about how time permeates and guides both our physical world and our inner selves. That knowledge should enrich the imagination and provide practical advantages to anyone hoping to beat the clock, or at least to stay in step with it. Synchronize your watches...

Scientists' Expertise as Performance

Author : Joris Vandendriessche,Evert Peeters,Kaat Wils
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 273 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2015-10-06
Category : History
ISBN : 9781317317227

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Scientists' Expertise as Performance by Joris Vandendriessche,Evert Peeters,Kaat Wils Pdf

The essays in this collection explore our reliance on experts within a historical context and across a wide range of fields, including agriculture, engineering, health sciences and labour management. Contributors argue that experts were highly aware of their audiences and used performance to gain both scientific and popular support.

Conjuring Science

Author : Christopher P. Toumey
Publisher : Rutgers University Press
Page : 218 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 1996
Category : Medical
ISBN : 0813522854

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Conjuring Science by Christopher P. Toumey Pdf

Toumey focuses on the ways in which the symbols of science are employed to signify scientific authority in a variety of cases, from the selling of medical products to the making of public policy about AIDS/HIV--a practice he calls "conjuring" science. It is this "conjuring" of the images and symbols of scientific authority that troubles Toumey and leads him to reflect on the history of public understanding and perceptions of science in the United States.

Collaborative Research in Fisheries

Author : Peter Holm,Maria Hadjimichael,Sebastian Linke,Steven Mackinson
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 332 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2020-02-24
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9783030267841

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Collaborative Research in Fisheries by Peter Holm,Maria Hadjimichael,Sebastian Linke,Steven Mackinson Pdf

This book is about the ongoing transition of fisheries governance, from top-down command and control towards a more transparent and participatory form. It focuses on the emergence of research practices and advice frameworks that allow co-creation of common knowledge bases for management. Drawing from 8 years of research in GAP, a two-stage 7th framework EU project, the book offers a critical examination of how knowledge practices in fisheries governance are changing. The entry point for this research is a series of practical experiments in the unchartered terrain of collaborative research. To gain insight into the ongoing transition in European fisheries management, GAP initiated and carried out 13 Case Studies in different settings across Europe. In each case study, a team of fishers and marine scientists worked together to identify, plan and implement research projects intended to make a difference. The cases vary. They take on different management issues and shape the collaborations in different ways. The extent to which they succeed in realizing their objectives also differs. They are all contributing important insights into the possibilities of co-creating knowledge for management purposes. The book delves into the individual experiences of each case study as well as the lessons they contribute as a whole. The examination concludes that while research partnerships are not always easy to establish, they are an important step towards better fisheries governance. Without a common knowledge base for fisheries governance, co-created through collaborative research practices, sustainable fisheries will remain out of reach.

THE UNITY OF TRUTH

Author : Allen A. Sweet,C. Frances Sweet,Fritz Jaensch
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
Page : 245 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2024-01-03
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9798369412473

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THE UNITY OF TRUTH by Allen A. Sweet,C. Frances Sweet,Fritz Jaensch Pdf

Many of the seven billion people who live on the earth look to either science or religion as the ultimate source of authority in their lives. But why must there be a conflict between the two? Why can’t science and religion support each other? The Unity of Truth shows why and how it makes perfect sense for science and religion to be mutually supportive. Beginning with the accepted truths of modern science and the beliefs of traditional Christianity, authors Allen A. Sweet, C. Frances Sweet, and Fritz Jaensch use their diverse expertise to deliver a deeper level of understanding of the ways in which science and religion can coexist. Relying on a thorough knowledge of physics, theology, and mathematics, this study addresses the paradox of how God communicates with our material world without violating any of the laws of science. Individual chapters discuss some of the most popular quandaries associated with combining science and religion. In addition, it considers the beginning and end of our universe, the evolution of life, and the meaning of human emotions from the scientific and theological perspectives, thus pushing understanding to a higher plateau of wisdom. Rational and devoid of rhetoric, The Unity of Truth seeks to help resolve the ongoing battle between religion and science, delivering a thoughtful narrative designed to open minds and hearts.

World Politics in Translation

Author : Tobias Berger,Alejandro Esguerra
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 314 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2017-09-14
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781351806336

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World Politics in Translation by Tobias Berger,Alejandro Esguerra Pdf

Virtually all pertinent issues that the world faces today – such as nuclear proliferation, climate change, the spread of infectious disease and economic globalization – imply objects that move. However, surprisingly little is known about how the actual objects of world politics are constituted, how they move and how they change while moving. This book addresses these questions through the concept of 'translation' – the simultaneous processes of object constitution, transportation and transformation. Translations occur when specific forms of knowledge about the environment, international human rights norms or water policies consolidate, travel and change. World Politics in Translation conceptualizes 'translation' for International Relations by drawing on theoretical insights from Literary Studies, Postcolonial Scholarship and Science and Technology Studies. The individual chapters explore how the concept of translation opens new perspectives on development cooperation, the diffusion of norms and organizational templates, the performance in and of international organizations or the politics of international security governance. This book constitutes an excellent resource for students and scholars in the fields of Politics, International Relations, Social Anthropology, Development Studies and Sociology. Combining empirically grounded case studies with methodological reflection and theoretical innovation, the book provides a powerful and productive introduction to world politics in translation.

Handbook on Science and Public Policy

Author : Dagmar Simon,Stefan Kuhlmann,Julia Stamm,Weert Canzler
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
Page : 584 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 2019
Category : SCIENCE
ISBN : 9781784715946

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Handbook on Science and Public Policy by Dagmar Simon,Stefan Kuhlmann,Julia Stamm,Weert Canzler Pdf

This Handbook assembles state-of-the-art insights into the co-evolutionary and precarious relations between science and public policy. Beyond this, it also offers a fresh outlook on emerging challenges for science (including technology and innovation) in changing societies, and related policy requirements, as well as the challenges for public policy in view of science-driven economic, societal, and cultural changes. In short, this book deals with science as a policy-triggered project as well as public policy as a science-driven venture.

Risk, Uncertainty and Policy

Author : Patrick Brown,Anna Olofsson
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2017-10-02
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781317389521

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Risk, Uncertainty and Policy by Patrick Brown,Anna Olofsson Pdf

Policy-making has always involved uncertainty; however the presence of unknowns has become far more conspicuous and problematic in recent times. One important way in which policy-makers have increasingly sought to deal with such uncertainty is through approaches rooted in understandings of risk. This book comprises a rather diverse collection of six chapters, alongside one more explicitly theoretical introduction, each taking up a distinct perspective in scrutinising the relationship between policy, risk and uncertainty. Important concerns addressed within these different studies include: how risk-governance policies are shaped by risk awareness (or a lack thereof) and the mediating role of trust; the framing of policy through an emphasis on particular risks and the corresponding impact on societal beliefs, discourses and institutional power; the organisational processes which lead to some risks being tackled while others are neglected; and processes of (de-) politicising uncertainty at the interface between scientists and policy-makers. Contributors explore trans-national institutions, national bodies, and local government – within diverse geographical contexts including China, Brazil, the Baltic Sea, Australia, the UK, and Europe. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Risk Research.