The Progress of Science—Past, Present and Future (original) (raw)
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Changing science and ensuring our future
Futures, 1997
Science is not static but dynamic. A key challenge in its development is the reflection and accommodation of weaknesses, rather than just inherent strengths, both in its practices and institutional structures and settings. Pivotal to this are a range of issues including uncertainty, contextual issues, broader societal involvement, interdisciplinarity, and the enablement of reflexivity. These are not unrelated, autonomous concerns but intrinsically interdependent ones. For example extended characterisation and representation of uncertainty can facilitate integration between what have been regarded as separate: the technical and the contextual. This will require reflexive practices, often involving dialogue between scientists and the broader community. Much of this correlates with recent developments in social theory, such as conceptions of the risk society, and has significant implications for the relationship between the natural and the social sciences. This paper will identify, examine and describe these emergent changes to science and discuss their broader implications. 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd By changing [sciences] self-conception and political arrangement, we must, as it were, install brakes and a steering wheel into the 'non-steering' of the racing techno-scientific development that is setting explosive powers free.' Science is fundamental to most people's perceptions of the future. These perceptions can be characterised in terms of a spectrum from 'optimistic' outlooks in which science takes centre place as a solution to our contemporary ills, to 'pessimistic' ones in which the role of science is minimised because science is regarded as being causally connected to the origin of these problems. While both these extreme positions are clearly naive and S. A. Healy may be contacted at 2/25-27 Fifth Avenue,
Inside science - a preliminary investigation of the case of global warming.
MPI Report 195, 1996
In this paper we present a preliminary and exploratory analysis of a series of in-depth interviews conducted with twenty eight climate scientists. After justifying the need for such research we present some preliminary results. These are in the form of: (1) the perceptions of risk and hazard as they relate to global warming; (2) the typification of issues drawn from the triadic relationship of science-politics-public and; (3) the typification of 'scientificpersonalities'. The perceptions of risk and hazard and typifications of issues are presented as brief edited excerpts from a broader range of the interviews. The typification of 'scientific personalities' are presented as three lengthy edited excerpts from interviews with three scientists. Finally, based on the qualitative data in the interviews, we draw a brief conclusion regarding the nature of the research of global climate change. While the data demonstrates that, for the most past, the risk of global climate change is a consensual product of scientific practice, the hazards associated with the event are determined to have a much closer affinity with the scientist's personal belief system. It is often these beliefs that come to play a role in the application of science to the public and political spheres.
The Intrusions of Politics on Science: A Look at Global Warming
2014
Science has touched every aspect of our lives, adding value and comfort to our long hours of hard work - including small digital pens, computers, and even smart houses. The truth is, however, that not many of us are scientists, and the lack of knowledge as to specificities of the field often leaves us suspicious when examining political support a supposedly scientific endeavor might receive. Indeed, the often lucrative nature of science has helped promote the interaction between the scientific community and external institutions like corporations and political offices, a partnership that raises the question of whether this cooperation jeopardizes the integrity of the scientific method, culture, or identity. In a number of cases, external organizations - including governments - have had a constructive drive on science, but in many other cases, it has been restrictive. Commodification of the scientific research culture remained a rather low profile topic until turn of the century conc...
Ambiente & Sociedade
The socioenvironmental framework that characterizes contemporary societies shows that human impact on the environment is causing increasingly complex changes both in quantitative and qualitative terms. Therefore, while highlighting the complexity of the events and the need of dialogue among science, managers and society, it emphasizes the prevalence of an instrumental cognitive rationality, which generally disregards the interdisciplinary dimension of problems affecting and maintaining life in our planet. The main objective of this work is to analyze factors affecting the connection between science and politics and to overcome those obstacles, emphasizing triggering and mobilizing factors.