4-11-05
Collins & Pinch intro and ch. 1

what are the ideas used in this book?

science and technology are golems
a golem is powerful but not self-directed, has to be controlled instead of having a purpose

science and technology are not good or bad in themselves but in the implementation
Kranzberg's law: technology is neither good nor bad, nor is it neutral

experimenter's regress: it is hard to prove anything because the experiment might not be reliable
science doesn't give you nice unambiguous answers to cut through controversy

evidential context: the result of a test can be interpeted as positive or negative depending on how the goal is defined

when you get into the details of any debate it is not so simple

relationship between science and technology:
game played:
we know science works because look at the power it has given us
the technology may not always work but the science is still right
the problems we have are due to human error, not the science or technology
it ends up a circular argument

the role of experts:
three groups
1. experts with formal scientific training in the field
2. people whose expertise comes from their own experience and study
3. general public
these authors are particularly interested in lay experts
but they believe you can't replace expertise with political activism

being an expert doesn't automatically give you the right answer
there is more than one kind of expertise

Chapter 1

did the Patriot missile in the Gulf war work?

define work as damage the warhead so it doesn't explode
on this standard we can be sure it worked 9% of the time or less

indirect criterea of success may be more important:
kept Israel from entering the war