Expertise and Inauthentic Scientific Controversies: What You Need to Know to Judge the Authenticity of Policy-Relevant Scientific Controversies
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The Science Communication Project @ISU was founded in 2010 with the goal of enhancing collaborative research on, education for, and the practice of public science communication, broadly conceived. Our biennial symposia- which include public presentations of multidisciplinary research and interactive workshops- bring together a network of scholars who share interests in public engagement of science, environmental communication, natural resource management, and agriscience. Conference proceedings showcase research, evaluations, and critiques of science communication-related practices and phenomena.
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The paper explores how non-experts can assess whether a policy-relevant technical or scientific issue is subject of a genuine controversy amongst experts or not. A criteria-based approach is suggested. While a number of criteria are introduced, the focus is on the expertise that one needs to employ the criteria appropriately. It is suggested that this expertise, which is called ‘sociological discrimination’ and which refers to an understanding of the nature of science, is an essential prerequisite for making adequate authenticity judgements.