Publication details
Nebezpečná věda
| Title in English | Dangerous Science |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2019 |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | With the Gilbert chemical set, children at home could make their gunpowder. The researcher tasted all the substances he worked with. The government has tested drugs on unsuspecting citizens. There is a relationship between race and intelligence. Research data has been manipulated. The journal published a procedure that can be used to make a biological weapon. These are examples of claims associated with the term "dangerous science." So what is dangerous science? What do these examples have in common and why are they marked by this term? In the talk, I will examine how the term dangerous science is used and abused to restrict scientific research. I will argue that this term is not, in fact, a characterization of science as such. I will show that if we were to characterize science like this, it would be directly contrary to scientific ideals and to the concept of science as an empirical investigation of what it is. Furthermore, this distinction between safe and dangerous science could in itself be dangerous. |