Defending Science - within Reason: Between Scientism And Cynicism

Sweepinginscope,penetratinginanalysis,andgenerouslyillustratedwithexamplesfromthehistoryofscience,thisnewandoriginalapproachtofamiliarquestionsaboutscientificevidenceandmethodtacklesvitalquestionsaboutscienceanditsplaceinsociety.Avoidingthetwinpitfallsofscientismandcynicism,notedphilosopherSusanHaackarguesthat,fallibleandflawedastheyare,thenaturalscienceshavebeenamongthemostsuccessfulofhumanenterprises-valuablenotonlyforthevast,interlockingbodyofknowledgetheyhavediscovered,andnotonlyforthetechnologicaladvancesthathaveimprovedourlives,butasamanifestationofthehumantalentforinquiryatitsimperfectbutsometimesremarkablebest.Thiswide-ranging,trenchant,andilluminatingbookexploresthecomplexitiesofscientificevidence,andthemultifariouswaysinwhichthescienceshaverefinedandamplifiedthemethodsofeverydayempiricalinquiry;articulatesthewaysinwhichthesocialsciencesarelikethenaturalsciences,andthewaysinwhichtheyaredifferent;disentanglestheconfusionsofradicalrhetoriciansandcynicalsociologistsofscience;exposestheevasionsofapologistsforreligiousresistancetoscientificadvances;weighsthebenefitsandthedangersoftechnology;trackstheeffortsofthelegalsystemtomakethebestuseofscientifictestimony;andtacklespredictionsoftheeventualculmination,orannihilation,ofthescientificenterprise.Writingwithverveandwryhumor,inawitty,direct,andaccessiblestyle,Haacktakesreadersbeyondthe"ScienceWars"toabalancedunderstandingofthevalue,andthelimitations,ofthescientificenterprise.