Why Democracies Need Science

We live in times of increasing public distrust of institutions, to which science has not been immune. Within the academe, the social sciences and humanities have offered strong critiques of scientific practice and knowledge, with a particular emphasis on the social contexts in which science operates and the questionable neutrality of its conclusions. A picture of science builds up in which the basis of scientific expertise is disputed, charged with being authoritarian and opened up to political debate, championing democracy as the victim of scientific hubris.

The critique of science and fears for democracy have led to a levelling down of science such that we no longer seem to know or care what is special about it. Harry Collins and Robert Evans warn that therein lies dystopia. Challenging the overblown implications of these otherwise enlightening critiques, they show how science can still be valued for its normative structure. They argue that as one institution after another succumbs to corruption, from the greed of the banks to the doping of athletes, we desperately need science to take a leadership role in showing democracies how to make difficult decisions with integrity.

Harry Collins is a Fellow of the British Academy, and Distinguished Research Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University
Robert Evans is Reader in Sociology at Cardiff University