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Sto caricando le informazioni... Prometheus Bedeviled: Science and the Contradictions of Contemporary Culturedi Norman Levitt
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In this lucid critique, Norman Levitt examines the strained relations between science and contemporary society. For the most part, Levitt states, we idolize musicians and cheer on athletes, yet we view scientists with a mixture of awe and unease. Significantly, too, we are unsure how scientific discovery actually fits into the broader schemes of politics, and policy. Even beyond pragmatic questions, we remain anxious about the implications of science for our basic understanding of human values and purpose. One result of this uncertainty about scientific work is an ill-informed crusade to "democratize" science. It has become fashionable lately, Levitt states, for non-scientists to attempt to intervene in science policy, which often results in methodologically unsound decisions. The embrace of "alternative medicine" is a particularly ominous example. Levitt suggests that science, by virtue of its accuracy and reliability, deserves to be at the top of the hierarchy of knowledge, and that our social institutions ought to take this fact strongly into account. Levitt hopes that Americans will become aware of the limitations of unchecked populism and will be willing to yield a bit of "democratic" control over certain questions in order to minimize the danger that sound science will be ignored or overridden. However, this trust in scientific methodology must be part of a broader understanding. Science must not only act responsibly toward our democratic institutions; it must also concede that our society has the right to decide what kinds of research are most consistent with larger goals and therefore deserve the most support. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni... GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)306.45Social sciences Social Sciences; Sociology and anthropology Culture and Institutions Specific aspects of culture ScienceClassificazione LCVotoMedia:
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My enthusiasm for _Prometheus Bedeviled_ began to wane towards the end of the book. Levitt's thesaurus seemed to run dry, as we read about the "clotted" prose of the postmodernists for the nth time. I also began to notice how often Levitt resorted to labeling the arguments of his opponents as "rants" or "raves" as a means of dismissing them without, I think, giving them the attention they deserve. That is a rhetorical device I don't care for. Some cheap shots Levitt apparently couldn't resist. Consider, for example, his observation that "the core ideology of the Republican party is essentially plutocratic, that the central aim of the party is to preserve and advance the interests of a rather small fraction of wealthy Americans." Even setting aside the questionable accuracy of his analysis of Republican economic policy, Levitt conveniently understates the influence of social conservatism in the GOP. In any case, these are the words of a polemicist, not a scientist.
Rather than a full-fledged argument, Levitt presents an intriguing sketch of an argument. Perhaps this is to avoid pedantry, and it does make for a very readable text, but I think it leaves too many gaps. The all-important word "science" is left undefined, and, as far as I can tell, Levitt never tells us the theory upon which he bases his, often resounding, moral judgments. I will not demand that Levitt accept Ivan Karamazov's decree that "without God, everything is allowed," but in light of Levitt's atheism, it would be nice if he clarified where his "oughts" are coming from.
The last chapter strikes me as the least clear and the most controversial. Levitt seems to be arguing for granting the scientific establishment a prominent official presence in government and society, but I'm not sure what exactly he has in mind. Few readers of _That Hideous Strength_ will be able to read this chapter without thinking of N.I.C.E. Levitt himself says that "[t]he notion of setting apart a restricted class of Americans to sit in judgment on all the others is spooky and obnoxious." I agree. ( )