Science as customized and customizing: The roles of science in the “religion/worldviews in the public sphere” debate

Abstract

It is increasingly acknowledged that there hardly exists anything like an “uncustomized” science, that is to quote Mikael Stenmark’s introduction to this volume, a science that is “governed not merely by epistemic goals, such as increased knowledge and explanatory power” (p. 2). Today, it is considered more or less a truism that science not only speaks to society, but also that society speaks back-though to what extent and by what means remains a controversial question (Nowotny et al., 2001; Nowotny, 2005). At the same time, science plays an enormously important public role as a source of information that society draws on in a multitude of settings, not least in public deliberation, the practices where citizens come together to discuss and decide on matters of public concern.