Values and Objectivity in Science

Hugh Lacey

doi:10.5771/9780739162248

Summary

Values and Objectivity in Science illuminates many of the ethical issues that arise concerning scientific practices and applications, offering an account of how social and ethical values play important roles within science. Hugh Lacey develops and clarifies his previous analysis by arguing for the importance of research being conducted under a plurality of strategies, contrasting 'materialist strategies' with 'agro-ecological strategies.' By displaying the structure of current ethical controversies about the legitimacy of planting transgenic crops, this book illustrates that sound thinking on such issues must be grounded on an adequate philosophy of science, one that can clearly distinguish between the proper and the distorting roles of values in scientific practices. This book will prove useful for science students and practitioners as well as those interested in the growing ethical questions involved in scientific practices.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2005
ISBN-Print: 978-0-7391-1141-3
ISBN-Online: 978-0-7391-6224-8
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 289
Product type: Book Titles

1. Contents No access
2. Acknowledgments No access
Introduction No access Pages 1 - 14
1. 1. 1.1 Values: the Modern Valuation of Control and its Presuppositions No access
  2. 1.2 Science as Value Free: Impartiality, Neutrality, and Autonomy No access
  3. 1.3 Links between Adopting Strategies and Holding Social Values―Materialist Strategies and the Modern Valuation of Control No access
2. 1. 2.1 Objectivity No access
  2. 2.2 Science and Human Well-Being No access
3. 1. 3.1 Values, Value Judgments, and Value-Assessing Statements No access
  2. 3.2 Social Ideals and Cognitive Ideals (The Aim of Science) No access
  3. 3.3 Strategies, Methodological Rules, Metaphysics, and Social Values No access
  4. 3.4 Three Moments of Scientific Activity No access
4. 1. 4.1 Competing Strategies No access
  2. 4.2 Comparing Theories Constructed under Competing Strategies No access
  3. 4.3 Choosing to Adopt a Strategy No access
  4. 4.4 "Multicultural Science" No access
5. 1. 5.1 Scientific Practices as Lacking Historicity No access
  2. 5.2 Kuhn's Account of the Historicity of Science No access
  3. 5.3 The Role of Applications No access
  4. 5.4 Agroecological Strategies No access
  5. 5.5 Adopting a Strategy and the Social Location of Scientific Research No access
  6. 5.6 Social Location and Adopting a Strategy: Additional Support for Pluralism No access
1. 1. 6.1 Controversy about the Legitimacy of Using Transgenics No access
  2. 6.2 Suppositions of the Proponents' and Critics' Arguments No access
  3. 6.3 The Value-Outlooks of the Proponents and the Critics No access
  4. 6.4 Efficacy and Legitimacy No access
2. 1. 7.1 Seeds and the Knowledge They Embody No access
  2. 7.2 Seeds and Their Sociocultural Location No access
3. 1. 8.1 Current Benefits No access
  2. 8.2 Anticipated Benefits No access
  3. 8.3 Golden Rice No access
4. 1. 9.1 Risk: General Considerations No access
  2. 9.2 The Role of the Modern Valuation of Control No access
  3. 9.3 Disputes about Risks No access
  4. 9.4 Burden of Proof No access
  5. 9.5 Risks That Derive from the Socioeconomic Context of Use No access
  6. 9.6 The Logic of Endorsing Propositions about Risks No access
5. 1. 10.1 Agroecology: The Empirical Record No access
  2. 10.2 Defending "Transgenics Are Necessary to Feed the World" No access
  3. 10.3 The Challenge of Agroecology No access
  4. 10.4 How to Conduct Scientific Research? No access
  5. 10.5 Ethical Discourse and Scientific Inquiry No access
  6. 10.6 Ground of Legitimating Current Uses of Transgenics: Science or Market Interests? No access
1. 1. 11.1 Empirically Investigating " ... Is Not Possible" No access
  2. 11.2 Emancipatory Movements No access
  3. 11.3 The Movements of the World Social Forum and Opposition to Neoliberalism No access
  4. 11.4 A Question for Scientific Investigation: Is Another World Possible? No access
Appendix No access Pages 261 - 272
Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyrns No access Pages 273 - 274
Bibliography No access Pages 275 - 288
About the Author No access Pages 289 - 289