University of Pittsburgh Press, 2004 Cloth: 978-0-8229-4237-5 | Paper: 978-0-8229-5947-2 | eISBN: 978-0-8229-7086-6 Library of Congress Classification Q175.S3626 2004 Dewey Decimal Classification 501
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Few people, if any, still argue that science in all its aspects is a value-free endeavor. At the very least, values affect decisions about the choice of research problems to investigate and the uses to which the results of research are applied. But what about the actual doing of science?
As Science, Values, and Objectivity reveals, the connections and interactions between values and science are quite complex. The essays in this volume identify the crucial values that play a role in science, distinguish some of the criteria that can be used for value identification, and elaborate the conditions for warranting certain values as necessary or central to the very activity of scientific research.
Recently, social constructivists have taken the presence of values within the scientific model to question the basis of objectivity. However, the contributors to Science, Values, and Objectivity recognize that such acknowledgment of the role of values does not negate the fact that objects exist in the world. Objects have the power to constrain our actions and thoughts, though the norms for these thoughts lie in the public, social world.
Values may be decried or defended, praised or blamed, but in a world that strives for a modicum of reason, values, too, must be reasoned. Critical assessment of the values that play a role in scientific research is as much a part of doing good science as interpreting data.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Peter Machamer is a professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Associate Director of the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh.
Gereon Wolters is a professor of philosophy and Deputy Director of the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Konstanz.
REVIEWS
"Is there any room for facts in a world of values? How is objectivity to be saved if science is as value-laden as most commentators now seem to agree? The well-chosen selection of essays in this anthology nicely illustrates the diverse ways in which an affirmative answer may be reached to these currently much debated questions."
—Ernan McMullin, University of Notre Dame
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Preface
Introduction Science, Values, and Objectivity
Machamer,
Peter
Wolters,
Gereon
1
The Epistemic, the Cognitive, and the Social
Laudan,
Larry
2
Is There a Significant Distinction between Cognitive and Social Values?
Lacey,
Hugh
3
Epistemic and Nonepistemic Values in Science
Dorato,
Mauro
4
The Social in the Epistemic
Machamer,
Peter
Osbeck,
Lisa
5
Transcending the Discourse of Social Influences
Barnes,
Barry
6
Between Science and Values
Weingart,
Peter
7
How Values Can Be Good for Science
Longino,
Helen E.
8
"Social" Objectivity and the Objectivity of Value
Smith,
Tara
9
On the Objectivity of Facts, Beliefs, and Values
Spohn,
Wolfgang
10
A Case Study in Objectifying Values in Science
Bedau,
Mark A.
11
Border Skirmishes between Science and Policy Autonomy, Responsibility, and Values
Douglas,
Heather E.
12
The Prescribed and Proscribed Values in Science Policy
Mitchell,
Sandra D.
13
Bioethics Its Foundation and Application in Political Decision Making
Thiele,
Felix
14
Knowledge and Control On the Bearing of Epistemic Values in Applied Science
Carrier,
Martin
15
Law and Science
Hilgendorf,
Eric
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
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Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
University of Pittsburgh Press, 2004 Cloth: 978-0-8229-4237-5 Paper: 978-0-8229-5947-2 eISBN: 978-0-8229-7086-6
Few people, if any, still argue that science in all its aspects is a value-free endeavor. At the very least, values affect decisions about the choice of research problems to investigate and the uses to which the results of research are applied. But what about the actual doing of science?
As Science, Values, and Objectivity reveals, the connections and interactions between values and science are quite complex. The essays in this volume identify the crucial values that play a role in science, distinguish some of the criteria that can be used for value identification, and elaborate the conditions for warranting certain values as necessary or central to the very activity of scientific research.
Recently, social constructivists have taken the presence of values within the scientific model to question the basis of objectivity. However, the contributors to Science, Values, and Objectivity recognize that such acknowledgment of the role of values does not negate the fact that objects exist in the world. Objects have the power to constrain our actions and thoughts, though the norms for these thoughts lie in the public, social world.
Values may be decried or defended, praised or blamed, but in a world that strives for a modicum of reason, values, too, must be reasoned. Critical assessment of the values that play a role in scientific research is as much a part of doing good science as interpreting data.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Peter Machamer is a professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Associate Director of the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh.
Gereon Wolters is a professor of philosophy and Deputy Director of the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Konstanz.
REVIEWS
"Is there any room for facts in a world of values? How is objectivity to be saved if science is as value-laden as most commentators now seem to agree? The well-chosen selection of essays in this anthology nicely illustrates the diverse ways in which an affirmative answer may be reached to these currently much debated questions."
—Ernan McMullin, University of Notre Dame
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Preface
Introduction Science, Values, and Objectivity
Machamer,
Peter
Wolters,
Gereon
1
The Epistemic, the Cognitive, and the Social
Laudan,
Larry
2
Is There a Significant Distinction between Cognitive and Social Values?
Lacey,
Hugh
3
Epistemic and Nonepistemic Values in Science
Dorato,
Mauro
4
The Social in the Epistemic
Machamer,
Peter
Osbeck,
Lisa
5
Transcending the Discourse of Social Influences
Barnes,
Barry
6
Between Science and Values
Weingart,
Peter
7
How Values Can Be Good for Science
Longino,
Helen E.
8
"Social" Objectivity and the Objectivity of Value
Smith,
Tara
9
On the Objectivity of Facts, Beliefs, and Values
Spohn,
Wolfgang
10
A Case Study in Objectifying Values in Science
Bedau,
Mark A.
11
Border Skirmishes between Science and Policy Autonomy, Responsibility, and Values
Douglas,
Heather E.
12
The Prescribed and Proscribed Values in Science Policy
Mitchell,
Sandra D.
13
Bioethics Its Foundation and Application in Political Decision Making
Thiele,
Felix
14
Knowledge and Control On the Bearing of Epistemic Values in Applied Science
Carrier,
Martin
15
Law and Science
Hilgendorf,
Eric
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE