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Science 14 January 2000:
Vol. 287. no. 5451, pp. 253 - 261
DOI: 10.1126/science.287.5451.253
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Pathways of Discovery

Deconstructing the "Science Wars" by Reconstructing an Old Mold

Stephen Jay Gould

Human beings appear to have an innate tendency to describe the world in terms of inherently distinct and logically opposite alternatives. A prime example is the current "science wars," which pit "realists" who uphold the objectivity and progressive nature of scientific knowledge against "relativists" who recognize the culturally embedded status of all claims for universal factuality. Gould argues that this dichotomy is false both as an interpretation of the nature and history of science and as a primary example of our deeper error in parsing the complexities of human conflicts and natural continua into stark contrasts formulated as struggles between opposing sides. As evidence, he reconstructs an episode in the history of science that is typically viewed as a linear "march to truth," showing that it instead demonstrates that science advances within a changing and contingent nexus of human relations, not outside the social order and despite its impediments.

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E-Letters:

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An objectivist's view
Ronald W. Angel, M.D.
Science Online, 13 Mar 2000 [Full text]
A Naturalist's View
Paul Hanley
Science Online, 27 Mar 2000 [Full text]
The Gould Standard
James Whiting, MD, FACR
Science Online, 30 Mar 2000 [Full text]

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