The Limits of Democratizing Science: When Scientists Should Ignore the Public
S. Andrew Schroeder
Abstract
Abstract Scientists are frequently called upon to “democratize” science, by bringing the public into scientific research. One appealing point for public involvement concerns the nonepistemic values involved in science. Suppose, though, a scientist invites the public to participate in making such value-laden determinations but finds that the public holds values the scientist considers morally unacceptable. Does the argument for democratizing science commit the scientist to accepting the public’s objectionable values, or may she veto them? I argue that there are a limited set of cases in which scientists can, consistently with a commitment to democratized science, set aside the public’s judgments.
Topics & Concepts
CommitArgument (complex analysis)Philosophy of scienceValue (mathematics)VetoSet (abstract data type)AsideEpistemologyScience communicationPolitical scienceSociologyScience educationLawPoliticsPhilosophyMathematicsComputer scienceProgramming languageLinguisticsStatisticsDatabaseChemistryBiochemistryPsychology of Moral and Emotional JudgmentFeminist Epistemology and Gender StudiesClimate Change Communication and Perception