Description
Oxford Uncertainty How It Makes Science Advance 2019 Edition by Kostas Kampourakis, Kevin McCain
Scientific knowledge is the most solid and robust kind of knowledge that humans have because of the self-correcting character inherent in its own processes. Nevertheless, anti-evolutionists, climate denialists, and anti-vaxxers, among others, question some of the best-established scientific findings, making claims that are unsupported by empirical evidence. A common aspect of these claims is the reference to the uncertainties in these areas of research, which leadsto the conclusion that science is uncertain about evolution, climate change, and vaccination, among others. The truth of the matter is that while the broad picture is clear, there exist-and will always exist-uncertainties about the details of the respective phenomena. In this book Kampourakis andMcCain show that uncertainty is an inherent feature of science that does not devalue it. In contrast, uncertainty actually makes science advance because it motivates further research.The first book of its kind, Uncertainty draws on philosophy of science to explain what uncertainty in science is and how it makes science advance. It contrasts evolution, climate change, and vaccination, where the uncertainties are exaggerated, to genetic testing and forensic science where the uncertainties are usually overlooked. Kampourakis and McCain discuss the scientific, psychological, and philosophical aspects of uncertainty in order to explain what it is really about, what kindof problems it actually poses, and why it ultimately makes science advance. Contrary to the public representations of scientific findings and conclusions that produce an intuitive but distorted view of science as certain, we need to understand and learn to live with uncertainty in science. Table of Contents :- PrefacePart I. Dealing with UncertaintyChapter 1 Uncertainty in Everyday Life Chapter 2 The Psychology of (Un)certainty Chapter 3 Uncertainty in Science - Isn't It a Problem? Chapter 4 In Science We Trust - or Don't We? Chapter 5 Is Scientific Rigor Declining? Part II. Uncertainties in Science: Some Case StudiesChapter 6 Uncertainties in Climate Science Chapter 7 Uncertainties in Vaccination Chapter 8 Uncertainties in Human Evolution Chapter 9 Uncertainties in Genetic Testing Chapter 10 Uncertainties in Forensic Science Part III. Accepting Uncertainty in ScienceChapter 11 Uncertainty is Inherent in Science Chapter 12 Uncertainty in Scientific Explanation Chapter 13 Uncertainty in Scientific Prediction Chapter 14 Understanding vs. Being Certain Chapter 15 How Uncertainty Makes Science Advance Notes Index