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Consensus, Dissensus, and Democracy: What is at Stake in Feminist Science Studies?

Grebowicz, Margret (2004) Consensus, Dissensus, and Democracy: What is at Stake in Feminist Science Studies? In: UNSPECIFIED. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

If feminists argue for the irreducibility of the social dimensions of science, then they ought to embrace the idea that feminist and non-feminist scientists are not in collaboration, but in fact defend different interests. Instead, however, contemporary feminist science studies literature argues that feminist research improves particular, existing scientific enterprises, both epistemically (truer claims) and politically (more democratic methodologies and applications). I argue that the concepts of empirical success and democracy at work in this literature from Longino (1994) and Harding (1996), to Longino (2002), Gilbert and Rader (2001), and Keller (2001) are not sufficiently critical, and fail to do justice to the truly revolutionary work done by feminist scientists. I offer the beginnings of an epistemology of dissensus (as opposed to consensus), using the work of Haraway (1978), Lyotard (1984), and Ziarek (2001). How would such an epistemology relate to feminist discussions of the possibility of democratic, responsible knowledge?


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Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (UNSPECIFIED)
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Grebowicz, Margret
Keywords: gender, democracy, consensus, dissensus, feminism, postmodernism, modernity, Lyotard, Haraway, Longino, Popper, primatology, universal history
Subjects: General Issues > Feminist Approaches
Depositing User: Margret Grebowicz
Date Deposited: 11 Sep 2004
Last Modified: 07 Oct 2010 15:12
Item ID: 1946
Public Domain: No
Conference Date: November 2004
Conference Location: Austin, TX
Subjects: General Issues > Feminist Approaches
Date: 2004
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/1946

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