Beyond Big Science in America: The Binding of Inquiry

Abstract

This paper offers an overview of the intellectual and social structure of science in the United States since the mid- 1960s. It argues that new directions for research are increasingly established by factors previously considered `external' to the inquiry process itself. These factors include changes in the ethos of academic science, social reorganization, governmental `megaprojects' and secrecy, and the enlarged dimension encompassed by Price's term `instrumentalism'. Taken together, these factors have restructured the indices of performance for doing science. Inquiry has become increasingly bound to a highly utilitarian conception of knowledge, to institutional goals and politicized reward systems, and to the technological infrastructure. Stylistic changes ensue, relating to how science is done, and to the relationship between theorization and experimentation. Given the altered circumstances for research, productive scientific inquiry at this historical juncture seems to be best fostered in diverse environments where corporate and academic scientists cooperate.

Science education in sociocultural context: Perspectives from the sociology of science

“…Kemington (1988) and Dickson (1988) documented the shift of science into its modern role as a mechanism to support specific political agendas. Remington (1988) identified four issues involved in the political economy of American science since the mid-1960s:…”

“…A new contrucf for science. Remington (1988) claimed that a new contract for science emerged in the 1980s that reoriented the values of science: "This reorientation measures the value of science almost exclusively in terms of utility and profitability for the national economy, military preparedness, corporate competitiveness and medical efficacy" (p. 56). Dickson (1988) argued similar points, explicating the consequences of the policies guiding this reorientation, which include the exclusion of social criteria for research funding decisions, the elimination of nonmarket criteria from energy and environmental concerns, and increased squabbling for commercially valuable findings among scientists and universities.…”

Sociology of science as a means to a more authentic, inclusive science education

“…For example, macrosociological writings have sought to explain the genesis and maintenance of the status and boundaries of science and scientists in Western society. The intricate relationship among politics, economics, power, autonomy, and the status of science has been the focus of a group of macrosociological studies of science (Callon, 1995;Cozzens & Gieryn, 1990;Cozzens & Woodhouse, 1995;Dickson, 1988Dickson, , 1993Gieryn, 1995;Hull, 1988;Remington, 1988). These writers document the role of modern science in supporting political agendas.…”

Engineering design in the classroom: Is it good science education or is it revolting?

“…Science today is clearly dependent on and influenced by public and private capital, and research programs respond to the political economy (Dickson, 1988;Remington, 1988). Economic considerations do more than just attract scientific interest; they act to reshape scientific values:…”