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Imperfect Oracle : The Epistemic and Moral Authority of Science / Theodore L. Brown.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: University Park, PA : Penn State University Press, [2015]Copyright date: ©2009Description: 1 online resource (352 p.)Content type:
Media type:
Carrier type:
ISBN:
  • 9780271050935
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 174/.95 22
Other classification:
  • online - DeGruyter
Online resources:
Contents:
Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- List of Abbreviations -- Introduction -- I Foundations -- 1 Authority and Autonomy -- 2 Historical Origins of Scientific Authority -- 3 American Science -- 4 Scientific Authority in Contemporary Society -- II Science in society -- 5 Science and the Courts -- 6 Science and Religion -- 7 Science and Government -- 8 Science and the Public -- 9 The Prospects for Scientific Authority -- References -- Index
Summary: Science and its offshoot, technology, enter into the very fabric of our society in so many ways that we cannot imagine life without them. We are surrounded by crises and debates over climate change, stem-cell research, AIDS, evolutionary theory and “intelligent design,” the use of DNA in solving crimes, and many other issues. Society is virtually forced to follow our natural tendency, which is to give great weight to the opinions of scientific experts. How is it that these experts have come to acquire such authority, and just how far does their authority reach? Does specialized knowledge entitle scientists to moral authority as well? How does scientific authority actually function in our society, and what are the countervailing social forces (including those deriving from law, politics, and religion) with which it has to contend? Theodore Brown seeks to answer such questions in this magisterial work of synthesis about the role of science in society. In Part I, he elucidates the concept of authority and its relation to autonomy, and then traces the historical growth of scientific authority and its place in contemporary American society. In Part II, he analyzes how scientific authority plays out in relation to other social domains, such as law, religion, government, and the public sphere.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number URL Status Notes Barcode
eBook eBook Biblioteca "Angelicum" Pont. Univ. S.Tommaso d'Aquino Nuvola online online - DeGruyter (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Online access Not for loan (Accesso limitato) Accesso per gli utenti autorizzati / Access for authorized users (dgr)9780271050935

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- List of Abbreviations -- Introduction -- I Foundations -- 1 Authority and Autonomy -- 2 Historical Origins of Scientific Authority -- 3 American Science -- 4 Scientific Authority in Contemporary Society -- II Science in society -- 5 Science and the Courts -- 6 Science and Religion -- 7 Science and Government -- 8 Science and the Public -- 9 The Prospects for Scientific Authority -- References -- Index

restricted access online access with authorization star

http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec

Science and its offshoot, technology, enter into the very fabric of our society in so many ways that we cannot imagine life without them. We are surrounded by crises and debates over climate change, stem-cell research, AIDS, evolutionary theory and “intelligent design,” the use of DNA in solving crimes, and many other issues. Society is virtually forced to follow our natural tendency, which is to give great weight to the opinions of scientific experts. How is it that these experts have come to acquire such authority, and just how far does their authority reach? Does specialized knowledge entitle scientists to moral authority as well? How does scientific authority actually function in our society, and what are the countervailing social forces (including those deriving from law, politics, and religion) with which it has to contend? Theodore Brown seeks to answer such questions in this magisterial work of synthesis about the role of science in society. In Part I, he elucidates the concept of authority and its relation to autonomy, and then traces the historical growth of scientific authority and its place in contemporary American society. In Part II, he analyzes how scientific authority plays out in relation to other social domains, such as law, religion, government, and the public sphere.

Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.

In English.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 28. Mrz 2023)