The Relationship Between Political Processes and Science Essay

The political processes involved in the production of scientific facts and technology continues to be misrepresented and underemphasised in contemporary academic and wider public discourse. This is evident when considering the approaches employed by historians, philosophers and commentators when interpreting past revolutions, paradigm shifts and controversies in science. In this ill luck to account for the intrinsic association of politics, scientific facts and technology, it has led to the problematic distortion of how science relates to society and operates as an institution. Several assumptions are often made almost science, for example the existence of an objective scientific method. Nave inductivists who maintain this view claim that science starts with observation, and secondly that observation yields a capture basis from which knowledge can be derived (Chalmers, 1982, p. 22). This standard model of science raises much concern as it negates to account for the complex nature of observation. Firstly, Gestalt imagery demonstrates the variation of distinct meanings which can be extrapolated from one image and so a variety of stimuli. Secondly, the standard story of scientific method through observation is wounded when considering the importance of gaps within science, shown through the Solar Neutrino case study. Scientists observed the activity of solar neutrinos and in 1967, when data begun to transpire, inconsistencies were noticed which defied their predictions. There were disagreements concerning the reading of the results and from 1968 to 1978 the scientific community continued in their attempt to resolve the gaps. A crucial question arises, which interpretation of the image or data is correct or legitimate... ...999, p. 17-Bishop, J. and Landell-Mills, N., Forest Environmental Services An Overview in Selling Forest Environmental Services Market-based mechanisms for conservation and development, Earthscan, London 2002, p. 30-Ede, A. and Cormac, L ., A History of Science in Society From Philosophy to Utility, Broadview Press, Ontario, 2004, p. 209-Kill, J., The Scientific Uncertainty of Carbon Sinks & Why Carbon Sinks Wont Help Stop Forest Destruction in Sinks in the Kyoto Protocol A dirty deal for forests, forest peoples and the climate, FERN, 2001, p, 9-Kuhn, T., The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, The University of Chicago Press, 1996, p. 56-Pinch, T. J. and Bijker, W. E., The Social verbalism of Facts and Artefacts in The Social Construction of Technological Systems, ed. W. E. Bijker, T. P. Hughes and T. J. Pinch, MIT Press, 1987, p. 19