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Author: Sal P. Restivo
Publisher: Lehigh University Press
Published: 1994
Total Pages: 292
ISBN-13: 9780934223218
DOWNLOAD EBOOKHe has tried - in his career and, specifically, in this volume - to understand science without accepting the culture of science uncritically.
Author: Philip Kitcher
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Published: 2011-09-20
Total Pages: 326
ISBN-13: 1616144084
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIn this successor to his pioneering Science, Truth, and Democracy, the author revisits the topic explored in his previous work—namely, the challenges of integrating science, the most successful knowledge-generating system of all time, with the problems of democracy. But in this new work, the author goes far beyond that earlier book in studying places at which the practice of science fails to answer social needs. He considers a variety of examples of pressing concern, ranging from climate change to religiously inspired constraints on biomedical research to the neglect of diseases that kill millions of children annually, analyzing the sources of trouble. He shows the fallacies of thinking that democracy always requires public debate of issues most people cannot comprehend, and argues that properly constituted expertise is essential to genuine democracy. No previous book has treated the place of science in democratic society so comprehensively and systematically, with attention to different aspects of science and to pressing problems of our times.
Author: Helen E. Longino
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2020-03-31
Total Pages: 274
ISBN-13: 0691209758
DOWNLOAD EBOOKConventional wisdom has it that the sciences, properly pursued, constitute a pure, value-free method of obtaining knowledge about the natural world. In light of the social and normative dimensions of many scientific debates, Helen Longino finds that general accounts of scientific methodology cannot support this common belief. Focusing on the notion of evidence, the author argues that a methodology powerful enough to account for theories of any scope and depth is incapable of ruling out the influence of social and cultural values in the very structuring of knowledge. The objectivity of scientific inquiry can nevertheless be maintained, she proposes, by understanding scientific inquiry as a social rather than an individual process. Seeking to open a dialogue between methodologists and social critics of the sciences, Longino develops this concept of "contextual empiricism" in an analysis of research programs that have drawn criticism from feminists. Examining theories of human evolution and of prenatal hormonal determination of "gender-role" behavior, of sex differences in cognition, and of sexual orientation, the author shows how assumptions laden with social values affect the description, presentation, and interpretation of data. In particular, Longino argues that research on the hormonal basis of "sex-differentiated behavior" involves assumptions not only about gender relations but also about human action and agency. She concludes with a discussion of the relation between science, values, and ideology, based on the work of Habermas, Foucault, Keller, and Haraway.
Author: Jones, Stephen
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Published: 2019-05-22
Total Pages: 344
ISBN-13: 1529206944
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe relationship between science and belief has been a prominent subject of public debate for many years, one that has relevance to everything from science communication, health and education to immigration and national values. Yet, sociological analysis of these subjects remains surprisingly scarce. This wide-ranging book critically reviews the ways in which religious and non-religious belief systems interact with scientific theories and practices. Contributors explore how, for some secularists, ‘science’ forms an important part of social identity. Others examine how many contemporary religious movements justify their beliefs by making a claim upon science. Moving beyond the traditional focus on the United States, the book shows how debates about science and belief are firmly embedded in political conflict, class, community and culture.
Author: Kevin C. Elliott
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2017-01-02
Total Pages: 225
ISBN-13: 0190260823
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe role of values in scientific research has become an important topic of discussion in both scholarly and popular debates. Pundits across the political spectrum worry that research on topics like climate change, evolutionary theory, vaccine safety, and genetically modified foods has become overly politicized. At the same time, it is clear that values play an important role in science by limiting unethical forms of research and by deciding what areas of research have the greatest relevance for society. Deciding how to distinguish legitimate and illegitimate influences of values in scientific research is a matter of vital importance. Recently, philosophers of science have written a great deal on this topic, but most of their work has been directed toward a scholarly audience. This book makes the contemporary philosophical literature on science and values accessible to a wide readership. It examines case studies from a variety of research areas, including climate science, anthropology, chemical risk assessment, ecology, neurobiology, biomedical research, and agriculture. These cases show that values have necessary roles to play in identifying research topics, choosing research questions, determining the aims of inquiry, responding to uncertainty, and deciding how to communicate information. Kevin Elliott focuses not just on describing roles for values but also on determining when their influences are actually appropriate. He emphasizes several conditions for incorporating values in a legitimate fashion, and highlights multiple strategies for fostering engagement between stakeholders so that value influences can be subjected to careful and critical scrutiny.
Author: Henry Byerly
Publisher: Westview Press
Published: 2000-08-24
Total Pages: 310
ISBN-13: 0813365511
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIn The Many Faces of Science, Leslie Stevenson and Henry Byerly masterfully, and painlessly, provide the information and the philosophical reflections students need to gain an understanding of the institution of modern science and its increasing impact on our lives and cultures. In this second edition, the authors update topics they explored in the first edition, and present new case studies on subjects such as HIV and AIDS, women in science, and work done in psychology and the social sciences. The authors also extend their discussion of science and values, in addition to revising their study of science and technology to emphasize changes in scientific practice today. Accessible and rich with case studies, anecdotes, personal asides, and keen insight, The Many Faces of Science is the ideal interdisciplinary introduction for nonscientists and scientists in courses on science studies, science and society, and science and human values. It will also prove useful as supplementary reading in courses on science and philosophy, sociology, and political science.
Author: B. Russell
Publisher: Рипол Классик
Published: 1952
Total Pages: 120
ISBN-13: 5885009082
DOWNLOAD EBOOK"In this concices and luminous book ... [Russell] examines the changes in modern life brought about by science. he suggests that its work in transforming society is only just beginning"--from inside upper cover.
Author: Wenda K. Bauchspies
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing
Published: 2006
Total Pages: 149
ISBN-13: 9780631232100
DOWNLOAD EBOOKScience, Technology and Society: A Sociological Approach is a comprehensive guide to the emergent field of science, technology, and society (STS) studies and its implications for today’s culture and society. Discusses current STS topics, research tools, and theories Tackles some of the most urgent issues in current STS studies, including power and culture, race, gender, colonialism, the Internet, cyborgs and robots, and biotechnology Includes case studies, a glossary, and further reading lists
Author: Bruno Latour
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 1987
Total Pages: 292
ISBN-13: 9780674792913
DOWNLOAD EBOOKFrom weaker to stronger rhetoric : literature - Laboratories - From weak points to strongholds : machines - Insiders out - From short to longer networks : tribunals of reason - Centres of calculation.
Author: Deborah G. Johnson
Publisher: MIT Press
Published: 2008-10-17
Total Pages: 853
ISBN-13: 0262303388
DOWNLOAD EBOOKAn anthology of writings by thinkers ranging from Freeman Dyson to Bruno Latour that focuses on the interconnections of technology, society, and values and how these may affect the future. Technological change does not happen in a vacuum; decisions about which technologies to develop, fund, market, and use engage ideas about values as well as calculations of costs and benefits. This anthology focuses on the interconnections of technology, society, and values. It offers writings by authorities as varied as Freeman Dyson, Laurence Lessig, Bruno Latour, and Judy Wajcman that will introduce readers to recent thinking about technology and provide them with conceptual tools, a theoretical framework, and knowledge to help understand how technology shapes society and how society shapes technology. It offers readers a new perspective on such current issues as globalization, the balance between security and privacy, environmental justice, and poverty in the developing world. The careful ordering of the selections and the editors' introductions give Technology and Society a coherence and flow that is unusual in anthologies. The book is suitable for use in undergraduate courses in STS and other disciplines. The selections begin with predictions of the future that range from forecasts of technological utopia to cautionary tales. These are followed by writings that explore the complexity of sociotechnical systems, presenting a picture of how technology and society work in step, shaping and being shaped by one another. Finally, the book goes back to considerations of the future, discussing twenty-first-century challenges that include nanotechnology, the role of citizens in technological decisions, and the technologies of human enhancement.
