RETHINKING PHILIP KITCHER’S SCIENCE POLICY IN TIMES OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

Year 2022, Issue: 76, 338 - 351, 13.12.2022

Merve Kaptan

Abstract

The relationship between policies of science and democratic debates is and probably always will be a current topic as long as science keeps shaping our lives. The renowned British philosopher Philip Kitcher’s Science, Truth and Democracy is still relevant today, some twenty years after its first publication, as the heated debates concerning the role of science and its social consequences rages on. This paper evaluates Kitcher’s main argument about an idealistic well-ordered science as policy by referring to its internal coherency and its practical applicability as a method. We propose that it is only by using our analysis of current state of things, we can develop social policies and regulations. Thus, the result would not just be a description of an ideal model, but a realistic suggestion of applicable policies based on communication between scientists, policy makers, and the public.

Keywords

scientific agenda, decision making policies, commercialization of science, scientific communication, philosophy of sicence

Global Pandemi Döneminde Philip Kitcher’ın Bilim Politikalarını Yeniden Düşünmek

Abstract

İngiliz felsefeci Philip Kitcher’in Science, Truth and Democracy (Bilim, Gerçek ve Demokrasi) kitabı, üzerinden yirmi yıl geçmiş dahi olsa bugün, bilim hayatımıza yön vermeye devam ettiği sürece, güncelliğini koruyor. Bilimin toplum içerisindeki rolü ve etrafında şekillenen sosyal politikalarla ilgili tartışmalar özellikle global pandemi dönemiyle hayatlarımızın merkezinde. Bu çalışma Kitcher’in “ideal düzenlenmiş bilim” olarak terimselleştirdiği kavramın üzerine kurduğu temel argümanının tutarlılığı ve yöntemsel olarak uygulanabilirliği açısından tartışmaya açıyor. Sosyal politikalara ve yönetmeliklere, sadece mevcut durumlar üzerinden yapılan bir analiz sayesinde karar verilmesi gerektiğini öne süren bu okuma, Kitcher’in ideal modelinin aksine bilim insanları, siyasetçiler ve toplum arasındaki diyaloğu temel alan gerçekçi ve uygulanabilir bir yöntem önermekte.

Keywords

bilim gündemi, karar verme politikaları, bilimin ticarileşmesi, bilimsel iletişim, bilim felsefesi

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