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The difference is when the arguments are being made using some standard of scientific methodology. They may be men, women, Christians or Muslims, but they all follow accepted scientific norms. I don't believe Chuck meant to imply it was their differences of faith but more their cultural points of view that enrich. Imagine if all "accepted" science was done only by middle-aged white males of European descent. Oh, excuse me, I guess it was for many a year! Let's start a list: Eugenics, Piltdown Man, social Darwinism, etc. It is an ugly list! The history of science is chock full of examples of bias. The good news is that eventually good science wins over that cultural bias and we move forward.
And don't get me started on Avian versus Non-Avian Dinosaurs...
---- Tom Nielsen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Chuck,
>
> Granted that scientists inevitably bring bias to their work -- yet
> isn't the goal of their effort to see only the evidence and recant a
> hypotheses when it is disproved? Science, then to me seems the
> antidote to bias. But the "differing value" you mention have me
> worried - what might they be? A can of worms, or a box of Pandora's,
> for sure. Don't Creationists and climate change deniers ask for "the
> opportunity to challenge ... another's work" based not on evidence but
> on differing values?
>
> Tom Nielsen
> The Exhibit Guys
>
>
> On Jun 10, 2009, at 12:36 PM, Chuck Howarth wrote:
>
> > ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> > Centers
> > Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> > institutions.
> > *****************************************************************************
> >
> > Adding to Jeff's comments, many if not most of Stephen Jay Gould's
> > essays address cultural biases in science. For example, 19th
> > century scientists spent a good bit of time documenting the ways in
> > which, in their view, some races were superior to others. They
> > brought that racist perspective with them to their science, and it
> > guided their work. Gould cites many other similar examples from
> > many different periods of history.
> >
> > Do scientists today bring biases to their work? Of course! But
> > other scientists with differing values and biases have the
> > opportunity to challenge them. Which suggests that science works
> > best when people of all cultures and both genders participate and
> > have the opportunity to challenge one another's work.
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> Wayne, you write:
> >>
> >> "That is, science does not have a cultural basis."
> >>
> >> I'm wondering if we're not confusing phenomena with the practice of
> >> science. I would suggest science clearly has a cultural basis.
> >> Without such a foundation, there would have been no development of
> >> an expert culture, of words, of symbols, of methodology, etc. The
> >> phrase "Natural Philosophy," at least as it pertains to the history
> >> of euro-centric science, comes to mind. Science and culture have
> >> always been mixed - cultural perspective has time and again limited
> >> the vision of practicing scientists.
> >>
> >> ***********************************************************************
> > Chuck Howarth
> > Gyroscope, Inc.
> > 283 Fourth Street, Suite 201
> > Oakland, CA 94607
> > [log in to unmask]
> > 510-986-0111
> >
> > http://www.gyroscopeinc.com
> >
> > Check out our blog!
> > http://museums-now.blogspot.com/
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ***********************************************************************
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