Science Talk: Changing Notions of Science in American Culture - Softcover

Thurs, Daniel Patrick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0813544203 ISBN 13: 9780813544205

Publisher: Rutgers University Press, 2008

Synopsis

Science news is met by the public with a mixture of fascination and disengagement. On the one hand, Americans are inflamed by topics ranging from the question of whether or not Pluto is a planet to the ethics of stem-cell research. But the complexity of scientific research can also be confusing and overwhelming, causing many to divert their attentions elsewhere and leave science to the “experts.”

Whether they follow science news closely or not, Americans take for granted that discoveries in the sciences are occurring constantly. Few, however, stop to consider how these advances—and the debates they sometimes lead to—contribute to the changing definition of the term “science” itself. Going beyond the issue-centered debates, Daniel Patrick Thurs examines what these controversies say about how we understand science now and in the future. Drawing on his analysis of magazines, newspapers, journals and other forms of public discourse, Thurs describes how science—originally used as a synonym for general knowledge—became a term to distinguish particular subjects as elite forms of study accessible only to the highly educated.

About this title

About the Author:

Daniel Patrick Thurs is a fellow at the New York University's Draper Program. After receiving his Ph.D. in the history of science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Thurs worked at Cornell University, studying public discussion of nanotechnology. He also taught at Oregon State University and the University of Portland.

Review:

This volume is a controversial and important contribution that helps clarify some of the reasons why we, as a culture, are so deeply conflicted about a major, if not the major force driving the modern world. (James Gilbert author of Redeeming Culture: American Religion in an Age of Science)

"There is much of value in Science Talk and Daniel Patrick Thurs should be commended for bringing to light the process whereby scientific controversies have evolved over time. It is an engaging study, one that will benefit all those interested in science and its place in American history."
(QUEST)

About this edition

• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0813544203
• ISBN 13: 9780813544205
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 252