Creating Scientific Controversies
Uncertainty and Bias in Science and Society

This is the first book-length introductory analysis of the concept of a created scientific controversy.

David Harker (Author)

9781107069619, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 1 October 2015

266 pages, 13 b/w illus. 6 tables
25.3 x 18 x 1.6 cm, 0.68 kg

'This book has the look and feel of a classroom text, complete with topics for discussion at the end of each chapter. … Harker spends a good deal of time providing background on the history of the philosophy of science, elementary logic, and the literature on cognitive bias. Each of these topics in and of themselves is useful. Indeed, Harker's explanation of the problem of underdetermination of theory by evidence was extremely well done. The explanation of the literature on cognitive bias was also a nice compendium of diverse research findings.' Lee McIntyre, Metascience

For decades, cigarette companies helped to promote the impression that there was no scientific consensus concerning the safety of their product. The appearance of controversy, however, was misleading, designed to confuse the public and to protect industry interests. Created scientific controversies emerge when expert communities are in broad agreement but the public perception is one of profound scientific uncertainty and doubt. In the first book-length analysis of the concept of a created scientific controversy, David Harker explores issues including climate change, Creation science, the anti-vaccine movement and genetically modified crops. Drawing on work in cognitive psychology, social epistemology, critical thinking and philosophy of science, he shows readers how to better understand, evaluate, and respond to the appearance of scientific controversy. His book will be a valuable resource for students of philosophy of science, environmental and health sciences, and social and natural sciences.

Introduction: scientific authority and the created controversy
Part I. Lessons from the Philosophy of Science: 1. Defining science and the empiricist approach
2. Two challenges for the naïve empiricist
3. A revolution in how we think about sciences
4. Sciences as historically and socially situated
Points to remember: Part I
Part II. Biases, Arguments and Created Controversies: 5. Inherent irrationality: cognitive biases and heuristics
6. Thinking more clearly: arguments, reasoning and informal fallacies
7. Created controversies and how to detect them
Points to remember: Part II
Part III. Exposing Created Controversies: 8. Environmental scare: the case of anthropogenic climate change
9. Sciences, religion and an intelligently design controversy?
10. Issues of public health: aids, autism and GMOs
Points to remember: Part III
Concluding remarks
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Environmentalist thought & ideology [RNA], Philosophy of science [PDA], Society & social sciences [J]