Science wars : the battle over knowledge and reality / Steven L. Goldman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Goldman, Steven L., 1941- author.

Series:

Oxford scholarship online.

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Discoveries in science.

Science--History.

Science.

Knowledge, Theory of.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (vii, 293 pages).

Other Title:

Battle over knowledge and reality

Place of Publication:

New York, New York : Oxford University Press, [2022]

Summary:

There is ample evidence that it is difficult for the general public to understand and internalise scientific facts. Disputes over such facts are often amplified amid political controversies. As we've seen with climate change and even COVID-19, politicians rely on the perceptions of their constituents when making decisions that impact public policy. So, how do we make sure that what the public understands is accurate? In this book, Steven L. Goldman traces the public's suspicion of scientific knowledge claims to a broad misunderstanding, reinforced by scientists themselves, of what it is that scientists know, how they know it, and how to act on the basis of it.

Contents:

Introduction: Why Science Wars?

1. Knowledge as a Problem

2. Is There a Scientific Method?

3. Was Galileo Right and the Catholic Church Wrong?

4. Newton and Knowledge of the Universe

5. Science Influences Philosophy

6. Science and Social Reform in the Age of Reason

7. What Is Science About?

8. The Knowledge Problem in Mature Science

9. Scientific Realism and the Romantic Reaction Against Reason

10. Early Twentieth-​Century Philosophy of Science

11. Einstein Versus Bohr on Reality

12. In Quest of the Thinker of Science

13. A New Image for Science

14. The Opening Phase of the Science Wars

15. Taking Sides

16. The Science Wars Go Public.

Notes:

Also issued in print: 2021.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-19-751864-8

0-19-751865-6

0-19-751863-X

OCLC:

1283856201