Public Science in Liberal Democracy

by Porter, Jene M.; Phillips, Peter W. B.

• ISBN13: 9780802093592
• ISBN10: 0802093590
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-12-29
• Publisher: Univ of Toronto Pr

Summary

Regardless of whether science is practised in industry, the academy, or government, its conduct inescapably shapes and is shaped by democratic institutions. Moreover, the involvement of science with public policy formation and democracy has dramatically increased over the centuries and, by all accounts, will continue to do so. In order to understand the functioning of science and democracy, it is necessary to acknowledge the complex relationship between them. Public Science in Liberal Democracyaims to do this from an interdisciplinary perspective, presenting an array of substantively different positions on the issues that it explores. The volume focuses on three major questions: Can science retain independence and objectivity in the face of demands to meet commercial and public policy objectives? In what ways is scientific discourse privileged in the formation of public policy? How can scientific knowledge and methodology be made compatible with the interdisciplinarity and integration required of public policy formation and discourse? Representing a wide range of viewpoints, the contributors to Public Science in Liberal Democracy come from Canada, Europe, the United States, and Australia, and include practising scientists as well as scholars working in the humanities and social sciences. This timely and thought-provoking collection makes an important contribution to the literature and will appeal to anyone interested in scientific research and its political and philosophical ramifications in democratic society.

Author Biography

Peter W.B. Phillips is a professor in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. Jene M. Porter is a professor emeritus in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Saskatchewan.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Abbreviations	p. xi
Introduction: The History, Philosophy, and Practice of Public Science	p. 3
The History of Public Science in Theory and Practice
The Element Publicum	p. 23
Science, Democracy, and Philosophy: From Marginal Achievements to Impossible Opportunities	p. 40
Public Geoscience at the Frontiers of Democracy	p. 60
Public Science, Society, and the Greenhouse Gas Debate	p. 84
Solutions to the Problems: Philosophic
The Role of Humanities Policy in Public Science	p. 111
Science Studies Encounter with Public Science: Mertonian Norms, the Local Life of Science, and the Long Dure	p. 121
The Democratic Deficit of Science and Its Possible Remedies	p. 135
New Atlantis Reconsidered	p. 149
Expertise, Common Sense, and the Atkins Diet	p. 174
The Role of the Public Academic Scientist in the Twenty-first Century: Who Is Protecting the Public Interest?	p. 194
The Science Literacy Gap: Enabling Society to Critically Evaluate New Scientific Developments	p. 205
Solutions to the Problems: Institutional
Science and Policymaking: The Legitimation Conundrum	p. 215
Bringing Balance, Disclosure, and Due Diligence into Science-Based Policymaking	p. 239
Technoscience in an 'Illiberal' Democracy: The Internet and Genomics in Singapore	p. 264
Retaining Scientific Excellence in Setting Research Priorities: Lessons from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)	p. 278
Toward Centres for Responsible Innovation in the Commercialized University	p. 295
Citizens and Biotechnology	p. 313
Contributors	p. 335
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