Science between myth and history : the quest for common ground and its importance for scientific practice /
Perillan, Jose G.,author.
Pinch, Trevor,1952-2021,writer of foreword.
Scientists regularly employ historical narrative as a rhetorical tool in their communication of science, yet there's been little reflection on its effects within scientific communities and beyond. Science Between Myth and History begins to unravel these threads of influence. The stories scientists tell are not just poorly researched scholarly histories, they are myth-histories, a chimeric genre that bridges distinct narrative modes. This study goes beyond polarizing questions about who owns the history of science and establishes a common ground from which to better understand the messy and lasting legacy of the stories scientists tell. It aims to stimulate vigorous conversation among science practitioners, scholars, and communicators. Scientific myth-histories undoubtedly deliver value, coherence, and inspiration to their communities. They are tools used to broker scientific consensus, resolve controversies, and navigate power dynamics. Yet beyond the explicit intent and rationale behind their use, these narratives tend to have great rhetorical power and social agency that bear unintended consequences. This book unpacks the concept of myth-history and explores four case studies in which scientist storytellers use their narratives to teach, build consensus, and inform the broader public. From geo-politically informed quantum interpretation debates to high-stakes gene-editing patent disputes, these case studies illustrate the implications of storytelling in science. Science Between Myth and History calls on scientists not to eschew writing about their history, but to take more account of the stories they tell and the image of science they project. In this time of eroding common ground, when many find themselves dependent on, yet distrustful of scientific research, this book interrogates the effects of mismatched, dissonant portraits of science.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-330) and index.
Introduction-Reconstructing Scientific Pasts: Tensions and Explorations -- Friendly Banter -- Establishing Common Ground -- Unpacking Einstein's Black Box -- Myth-History -- Roadmap of Case Studies -- Emergent Themes from Myth-Historical Case Studies -- 1: Myth-Historical Tensions: Origins of a Narrative Category -- The Flying Ashtray Argument -- Unpacking Historical Tensions: Who Owns Our Scientific Past? -- Finding Interdisciplinary Common Ground -- Shifting Historiographic Landscapes -- Myth-History: Origins of an Interdisciplinary Framework -- Leon Lederman's Myth-HistoricalFilters -- Lederman's Historiographic Interlude -- Myth-History as Chimeric Narrative Category -- Myth-Historical Time -- Myth-Historical Facts: Fungible Fact Hierarchies -- Myth-Historical Imaginaries: Truths Greater than Truth Itself -- Myth-Historical Filters and Erasers -- Conclusion -- 2: Myth-Historical Quantum Erasure: The Case of the Missing Pilot Wave -- Quantum Omissions -- The Quantum (Mis)education of John S. Bell -- Quantum Myth-Histories -- Emergence of de Broglie's Pilot Wave Interpretation -- Fifth Solvay Council-Converging Lens -- Forcing Closure of Interpretation Debates -- A Rising Pragmatism, Consensus, and Interpretational Lull -- Canonizing Quantum Orthodoxy -- De Broglie's Abandonment of Pilot Wave Theory -- The Rhetorical Rise of Impossibility -- David Bohm Climbs Mt. Impossible -- The Rhetoric of Myth-Historical Responses -- Conclusion -- 3: Myth-Historical CRISPR Edits: Modifying Futures by Controlling Pasts -- Heroes and Villains of CRISPR? -- CRISPR Basics -- Projecting a Miraculous Scientific Ecosystem -- An Image May Be Worth Billions -- Contested Patent Context -- Patent Interference -- Complex Patent Landscape -- Diluting Doudna and Charpentier -- CRISPR Priority Disputes-Messy and Uneven Publishing Landscapes -- Lander's Lessons Learned -- Doudna Responds -- The Case of Rosalind Franklin -- Doudna's Corrective Myth-History -- Exploring the Power and Impacts of CRISPR-Cas9 -- Conclusion -- 4: Echoes of Gravitational Waves: Making Heroes and Anti-heroes -- On the Shoulders of Giants -- LIGO Presser -- Myth-Historical Interventions -- Will the Real Einstein Please Stand Up? -- The Cost of Casting Einstein as a Solitary Genius -- Einstein's Unshakable Ambivalence -- Early Explorations into Gravitational Wave Detection -- Joseph Weber: Potential Star of Gravitational Wave Theory -- Becoming a Gravitational Wave Pariah -- Phoenix Rising: Rehabilitated Scientific Hero -- 5: Demarcating Seismic Uncertainties: A Front in the "War on Science" -- Grappling with Uncertainty -- War on Science -- Uncertain Shockwaves -- Uncertain Knowledge(s) -- A Telling History of Seismic Prediction -- Boundary Work: Stigmatized Prediction versus Legitimate Forecasting -- Media Operations: Local Declarations and Distortions -- Accused Pseudoscientist Giampaolo Giuliani-Predicting Earthquakes -- Performing Certainty: Discrediting an "Imbecile" and Anesthetizing the Aquilani -- Boundary Work within the L'Aquila Seven-Refracting Uncertainty -- Beyond Scientific Consensus-Anesthetizing Misinformation -- Fallout -- Conclusion -- Conclusion-Beyond the Wars on Science -- The Flying Ashtray Revisited -- Reflective Discourse -- Transformative Interrogation in Action -- Full Disclosure and Transparency Extends to the Past -- Final Reflections on the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic
Scientists regularly employ historical narrative as a rhetorical tool in their communication of science, yet there's been little reflection on its effects within scientific communities and beyond. Science Between Myth and History begins to unravel these threads of influence. The stories scientists tell are not just poorly researched scholarly histories, they are myth-histories, a chimeric genre that bridges distinct narrative modes. This study goes beyond polarizing questions about who owns the history of science and establishes a common ground from which to better understand the messy and lasting legacy of the stories scientists tell. It aims to stimulate vigorous conversation among science practitioners, scholars, and communicators. Scientific myth-histories undoubtedly deliver value, coherence, and inspiration to their communities. They are tools used to broker scientific consensus, resolve controversies, and navigate power dynamics. Yet beyond the explicit intent and rationale behind their use, these narratives tend to have great rhetorical power and social agency that bear unintended consequences. This book unpacks the concept of myth-history and explores four case studies in which scientist storytellers use their narratives to teach, build consensus, and inform the broader public. From geo-politically informed quantum interpretation debates to high-stakes gene-editing patent disputes, these case studies illustrate the implications of storytelling in science. Science Between Myth and History calls on scientists not to eschew writing about their history, but to take more account of the stories they tell and the image of science they project. In this time of eroding common ground, when many find themselves dependent on, yet distrustful of scientific research, this book interrogates the effects of mismatched, dissonant portraits of science.
Science
Science
Science.
Communication in science