Are Values in Science Like a Tapestry or a Patchwork Quilt?

Abstract

This book makes the contemporary philosophical literature on science and values accessible to a wide readership. It focuses on two questions: What are the major ways in which scientific reasoning can be influenced by values? and How can we tell whether those influences are appropriate or not? To address these questions, it examines case studies from a variety of research areas, including climate science, anthropology, chemical risk assessment, ecology, neurobiology, biomedical research, and agriculture. These cases show that the value-free ideal for science is problematic; values have important roles to play in identifying research topics, choosing research questions, determining the aims of inquiry, responding to uncertainty, and deciding how to communicate information. The book argues that values can influence science in these ways without harming scientific objectivity-in fact, making value judgments more explicit actually promotes objectivity. In place of the value-free ideal, the scientific community should strive to meet three conditions for addressing values appropriately: (1) the influences of values should be made transparent; (2) values should reflect ethical and social priorities; and (3) values should be scrutinized via processes of engagement that incorporate multiple stakeholders. The book explores multiple engagement strategies that can help bring values to light and subject them to critical scrutiny.