Expertise in crisis : the ideological contours of public scientific controversies

"When the utility of masks or vaccinations became politicized during the COVID-19 pandemic and lost its mooring in scientific evidence, an already-developing crisis of expertise was exacerbated. Those who believe in consensus science wondered: “How can ‘those people’ not see the truth?" With a foreword by Harry Collins, this book shows that the crisis is not a scientific controversy, but an ideological dispute with believers on both sides. If the advocates for consensus science acknowledge the uncertainties involved, rather than insisting on cold, hard facts, it is possible to open a pathway towards interaction and communication, even persuasion, between world views. As the crisis of expertise continues to be a global issue, this will be an invaluable resource for readers concerned about polarized societies and the distrust of consensus science.When the utility of masks or vaccinations became politicized during the COVID-19 pandemic and lost its mooring in scientific evidence, an already-developing crisis of expertise was exacerbated. Those who believe in consensus science wondered: “How can ‘those people’ not see the truth?" With a foreword by Harry Collins, this book shows that the crisis is not a scientific controversy, but an ideological dispute with believers on both sides. If the advocates for consensus science acknowledge the uncertainties involved, rather than insisting on cold, hard facts, it is possible to open a pathway towards interaction and communication, even persuasion, between world views. As the crisis of expertise continues to be a global issue, this will be an invaluable resource for readers concerned about polarized societies and the distrust of consensus science"-- From JSTOR Front Cover Expertise in Crisis: The Ideological Contours of Public Scientific Controversies Copyright information Dedication Table of contents About the Author Acknowledgments Foreword Preface Introduction A. Expertise in crisis B. Justifiable distrust of (some) expertise C. On the question of genuine scientific controversies D. Parallel controversies i. Conspiracy theories ii. Political-economy impacts iii. Data as meta-expertise one What Caused, and How Do We Fix, Our Crisis? A. The complexity of the crisis of expertise B. (Dis)Trust in science C. The failure(s) of law D. The failure(s) of science two Worldviews as “Religious” Frameworks A. Revisiting a Dutch Golden Age painting B. From a painting to a theory of “religious” worldviews C. Parallels with Latour’s two worlds three The Quasi-Religious Aspect of the Crisis A. Tribalism in politics B. Anti-science ideology? four Belief as a Form of Expertise A. The anthropology of religion B. Studies in expertise and experience C. Wittgenstein’s influential notion of “forms of life” five Communicating across Worldviews A. Wittgenstein’s hope B. Science communication studies C. Deliberative approaches and the “argumentative” turn Conclusion Notes References Index As the crisis of expertise continues to be a global issue, this book shows that it is not a ‘scientific’ controversy, but an ideological dispute with believers on both sides. If the advocates of consensus science acknowledge the uncertainties of even the best science, it is possible to open a pathway towards communication between world views.