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Oxford University Press, USA
The Fight Against Doubt: How to Bridge the Gap Between Scientists and the Public
The Fight Against Doubt: How to Bridge the Gap Between Scientists and the Public
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The lack of public support for climate change policies and refusals to vaccinate children are just two alarming illustrations of the impacts of dissent about scientific claims. Dissent can lead to confusion, false beliefs, and widespread public doubt about highly justified scientific
evidence. Even more dangerously, it has begun to corrode the very authority of scientific consensus and knowledge. Deployed aggressively and to political ends, some dissent can intimidate scientists, stymie research, and lead both the public and policymakers to oppose important public policies
firmly rooted in science. To criticize dissent is, however, a fraught exercise. Skepticism and fearless debate are key to the scientific process, making it both vital and incredibly difficult to characterize and identify dissent that is problematic in its approach and consequences. Indeed, as de Melo-Martín and Intemann
show, the criteria commonly proposed as means of identifying inappropriate dissent are flawed and the strategies generally recommended to tackle such dissent are not only ineffective but could even make the situation worse. The Fight Against Doubt proposes that progress on this front can best be achieved by enhancing the trustworthiness of the scientific community and by being more realistic about the limits of science when it comes to policymaking. It shows that a richer understanding of the context in which science
operates is needed to disarm problematic dissent and those who deploy it. This, the authors argue, is the best way forward, rather than diagnosing the many instances of wrong-headed dissent.
Author: Inmaculada de Melo-Martín, Kristen Intemann
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 08/01/2018
Pages: 232
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.40w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780190869229
Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2019
published in a variety of philosophy and science journals including Philosophy of Science, The European Journal of Philosophy of Science, Synthese, EMBO Reports, and FASEB Journal.
evidence. Even more dangerously, it has begun to corrode the very authority of scientific consensus and knowledge. Deployed aggressively and to political ends, some dissent can intimidate scientists, stymie research, and lead both the public and policymakers to oppose important public policies
firmly rooted in science. To criticize dissent is, however, a fraught exercise. Skepticism and fearless debate are key to the scientific process, making it both vital and incredibly difficult to characterize and identify dissent that is problematic in its approach and consequences. Indeed, as de Melo-Martín and Intemann
show, the criteria commonly proposed as means of identifying inappropriate dissent are flawed and the strategies generally recommended to tackle such dissent are not only ineffective but could even make the situation worse. The Fight Against Doubt proposes that progress on this front can best be achieved by enhancing the trustworthiness of the scientific community and by being more realistic about the limits of science when it comes to policymaking. It shows that a richer understanding of the context in which science
operates is needed to disarm problematic dissent and those who deploy it. This, the authors argue, is the best way forward, rather than diagnosing the many instances of wrong-headed dissent.
Author: Inmaculada de Melo-Martín, Kristen Intemann
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 08/01/2018
Pages: 232
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.40w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780190869229
Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2019
About the Author
Inmaculada de Melo-Martín is professor of Medical Ethics at Weill Cornell Medicine. She holds as PhD in Philosophy and an M.S. in Biology. Her research focuses on ethical and epistemological issues related to biomedical sciences and technologies. She has published extensively on those topics in both
philosophy and science journals. She is the author of Rethinking Reprogenetics (OUP, 2017).
published in a variety of philosophy and science journals including Philosophy of Science, The European Journal of Philosophy of Science, Synthese, EMBO Reports, and FASEB Journal.
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