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Beyond the Science Wars: Contemplating the Democratization of Science

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2016

Daniel Lee Kleinman
Daniel Lee Kleinman*
Affiliation:
Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
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Abstract

Discussions of democratic involvement in science and technology are often marred by lack of clarity and consequent misunderstanding. In an effort to move beyond the bickering of the “science wars,” I outline several dimensions across which it is possible to distinguish cases of democratized science. In addition, I provide evidence from varied cases, which suggests that the inability of laypeople to grasp the subtle content, difficult concepts, and methodological complexity of science is not a valid basis for a priori rejection of efforts to democratize science. I suggest that the real obstacles to the democratization of science are rooted in widespread social and economic inequalities and an unexamined commitment to expert authority, and I provide some rudimentary proposals for overcoming these hurdles.

Type
Science and Democracy
Information
Politics and the Life Sciences , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , September 1998 , pp. 133 - 145
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Politics and the Life Sciences 

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