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Science and Democracy
Controversies and conflicts
The relationship between science and democracy has become a much-debated issue. In recent years, we have even seen an exponential growth in literature on the subject. No doubt, the interest has partly been justified by the concern of public opinion over the technological repercussions of scientific research. Moreover, there are scientific theories that, if they were accepted, would allegedly imply the adoption of policies that have wide social consequences, as well as a rethinking of deeply-rooted habits on the part of the citizens. These considerations alone allow us to understand the reasons for the interest in the, at times troublesome, relationships between science and public opinion which characterize democratic societies.
[Controversies, 13] 2018. viii, 198 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 27 April 2018
Published online on 27 April 2018
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
- About the contributors | pp. vii–viii
- Foreword: Like dwarfs on the shoulders of giantsGiovanni Scarafile | pp. 1–6
- Introduction: The relationship between science and democracy: Harmonic and confrontational conceptionsPierluigi Barrotta | pp. 7–16
- Chapter 1. The dam project: Who are the experts? A philosophical lesson from the Vajont disasterPierluigi Barrotta and Eleonora Montuschi | pp. 17–34
- Chapter 2. Rational decisions in a disagreement with expertsIstván Danka | pp. 35–52
- Chapter 3. Rethinking the notion of public: A pragmatist accountRoberto Gronda | pp. 53–70
- Chapter 4. The expert you are (not): Citizens, experts and the limits of science communicationSelene Arfini and Tommaso Bertolotti | pp. 71–86
- Chapter 5. Decisions without scientists? Two case studies about GM plants and invasive acacia in HungaryAnna Petschner | pp. 87–108
- Chapter 6. Save the planet, win the election: A paradox of science and democracy, an Israeli perpetuum mobile and Donald TrumpAviram Sariel | pp. 109–126
- Chapter 7. Science and the source of legitimacy in democratic regimesOded Balaban | pp. 127–144
- Chapter 8. The ethics of communication and the Terra Terra projectGiovanni Scarafile and Maria Elena Latino | pp. 145–164
- Chapter 9. The political use of science: The historical case of Soviet cosmologyMauro Stenico | pp. 165–184
- Chapter 10. The dialectical legacy of epigeneticsFlavio D’Abramo | pp. 185–196
- Index
Cited by (12)
Cited by 12 other publications
Cartwright, Nancy & Faron Ray
Cartwright, Nancy & Faron Ray
Barrotta, Pierluigi & Roberto Gronda
Cartwright, Nancy, Jeremy Hardie, Eleonora Montuschi, Matthew Soleiman & Ann C. Thresher
Dykes, Alan P. & Edward N. Bromhead
Ivani, Silvia & Catarina Dutilh Novaes
Cartwright, Nancy
Scarafile, Giovanni
2020. The pointer finger and the pilgrim shell. In Controversies and interdisciplinarity [Controversies, 16], ► pp. 235 ff.
Barrotta, Pierluigi & Eleonora Montuschi
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