Hicks, Daniel (2014) A New Direction for Science and Values. [Preprint]

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Abstract

The controversy over the old ideal of ``value-free science'' has cooled significantly over the past decade. Many philosophers of science now agree that even ethical and political values may play a substantial role in all aspects of scientific inquiry. Consequently, in the last few years, work in science and values has become more specific: Which values may influence science, and in which ways? Or, how do we distinguish illegitimate from illegitimate kinds of influence? In this paper, I argue that this problem requires philosophers of science to take a new direction. I present two case studies in the influence of values on scientific inquiry: feminist values in archaeology and commercial values in pharmaceutical research. I offer a preliminary assessment of these cases, that the influence of values was legitimate in the feminist case, but not in the pharmaceutical case. I then turn to three major approaches to distinguish legitimate from illegitimate influences of values, including the distinction between epistemic and non-epistemic values and Heather Douglas' distinction between direct and indirect roles for values. I argue that none of these three approaches gives an adequate analysis of the two cases. In the concluding section, I briefly sketch my own approach, which draws more heavily on ethics than the others, and is more promising as a solution to the current problem. This is the new direction in which I think science and values should move.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Hicks, Daniel hicks.daniel.j@gmail.com
Additional Information:	Forthcoming in Synthese
Keywords:	science and values; feminism; pharmaceuticals; commercial science; relativism; epistemic values; direct and indirect roles for values
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Anthropology General Issues > Ethical Issues General Issues > Feminist Approaches Specific Sciences > Medicine General Issues > Science and Society General Issues > Values In Science
Depositing User:	Dan Hicks
Date Deposited:	13 Mar 2014 17:49
Last Modified:	21 Sep 2014 13:41
Item ID:	10559
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Anthropology General Issues > Ethical Issues General Issues > Feminist Approaches Specific Sciences > Medicine General Issues > Science and Society General Issues > Values In Science
Date:	2014
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/10559

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• A New Direction for Science and Values. (deposited 13 Mar 2014 17:49) [Currently Displayed]
  • A New Direction for Science and Values. (deposited 21 Sep 2014 13:41)

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