Rehabilitating neutrality
Philosophical Studies 163 (1):77-83 (2013)
Abstract
This article responds to Janet Kourany’s proposal, in Philosophy of Science after Feminism, that scientific practices be held to the ideal of ‘socially responsible science’, to produce results that are not only cognitively sound, but also significant in the light of values ‘that can be morally justified’. Kourany also urges the development of ‘contextualized philosophy of science’—of which feminist philosophy of science is exemplary—that is ‘politically engaged’ and ‘activist’, ‘informed by analyses of the actual ways in which science interacts with the wider society in which it occurs, the ways in which science is shaped by and in turn shapes society’, and that can contribute to understanding both the cognitive and social dimensions of science. Although I share Kourany’s commitment to contextualized philosophy of science, I question her proposed ideal of ‘socially responsible science’ and the grounds she provides for adopting it. My argument leads me to defend rehabilitating the traditional ideal of the ‘neutrality’ of science, which I reinterpret as the ideal of ‘inclusiveness and evenhandedness’Author's Profile
DOI
10.1007/s11098-012-0074-6
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Citations of this work
Can the Science of Well-Being Be Objective?Anna Alexandrova - 2018 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 69 (2):421-445.
Facing the Credibility Crisis of Science: On the Ambivalent Role of Pluralism in Establishing Relevance and Reliability.Martin Carrier - 2017 - Perspectives on Science 25 (4):439-464.
Science, Respect for Nature, and Human Well-Being: Democratic Values and the Responsibilities of Scientists Today.Hugh Lacey - 2016 - Foundations of Science 21 (1):51-67.
References found in this work
Values and Objectivity in Science: The Current Controversy About Transgenic Crops.Hugh Lacey - 2005 - Lexington Books.
On the Interplay of the Cognitive and the Social in Scientific Practices.Hugh Lacey - 2005 - Philosophy of Science 72 (5):977-988.