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Chapter 17
Science, the
Environment,
and Society
Lecture PowerPoint
© W. W. Norton & Company, 2008
Science and Society
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Sociologists of science look at the interactions between
science and society.
Many scientific questions are also social issues.
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Environmental pollution
Global warming
Medical technology
Information technology
Many social problems can have scientific solutions.
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Science and society
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paradigm = framework within which scientists operate.
Includes fundamental concepts and laws
Very broad, influences all scientific theory and research
within a discipline.
Paradigm shift may result from revolutionary discoveries or
influential theory
Physics: Newton, Einstein, quantum mechanics
Economics: classical, Keynesian, monetarist
Sociology: functional, conflict
Biology: intelligent design, evolution
Science and Society
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Normative Science
 belief that science is unaffected by beliefs or values
of scientists; follows objective rules of evidence.
 In practice, social factors such as funding,
government policies, international pressure, and
competition can affect choices about what
scientific research is pursued.
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Science and Society
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Anthropologists Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar:
scientific facts are socially constructed as
scientists debate findings, discuss results, and work
through disagreements, all of which is influenced by
unequal power relations between researchers.
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Agriculture and Environment: Climate
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Global warming: increasing concentration of carbon
dioxide and other gases in atmosphere, causing
atmosphere, and eventually oceans, to warm up.
linked to human activity such as deforestation, burning
of farmland, and use of coal, gas, and oil.
May result in worse natural disasters such as heat
waves, hurricanes, and droughts.
Disasters may affect class and race groups unequally.
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Preparedness, relief are not evenly distributed.
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Figure 17.1 | Variations of Earth’s Surface
Temperature for the Past 140 Years
Agriculture and Environment: Food
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Organic food in U.S. meets specific guidelines
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Assumed to be healthier, not always true.
Assumed to be locally grown or small scale
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No pesticides
Not genetically modified
Organic mega-farms have become powerful
Generally more expensive, more available to upper
classes.
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Agriculture and Environment: Food
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Genetically modified foods (GMO = genetically modified
organism)
Products whose genetic structures have been altered, usually to
make them produce higher yields.
Advantages: bring down food prices, reduce dependence on
pesticides and herbicides, reduce waste, can provide added
vitamin and mineral content
particularly significant for developing countries.
Disadvantages: possible environment and health risks; not
thoroughly evaluated yet
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Agriculture and Environment: Food
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Ulrich Beck – “risk society” - society is exposed to
external and manufactured risks
Manufactured risks result from human activity.
Negative effects of risks are unevenly distributed
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“Risk society” tries to mitigate risks and their unequal distribution
Charles Perrow - society can and should reduce the
impact of such risks [through wise policy choices].
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Agriculture and Environment: Food
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green revolution refers to two agricultural trends
introduction of high-yield crops in developing countries
 improvements in agricultural technologies such as irrigation
systems, fertilizers, and pesticides.
Has helped food production keep pace with population growth
Has resulted in new organizations, e.g. collective farms
Higher productivity enables more people to go to school.
Has encouraged more production of fewer products, reducing
biodiversity
May require more water; access is unequal
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You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Biotechnology and the Human Genome
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Human Genome Project tried to identify and
map all of the genes in human DNA.
raised concerns about privacy, stratification, and
stigmatization.
May be used to trace ancestry, contribute to
historical knowledge
You May Ask Yourself
Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Computers and the Internet
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Digital divide – unequal access to computers, technology,
and internet
Social divide – unequal knowledge and use of information
technology within a country
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May be due to demographic characteristics such as age, education
Global divide – stratification in information technology
between countries
All of these affect life chances and opportunities
Inequalities in IT access and skills often correlated with race
and social class
Figure 17.2 | Demographics of U.S.
Internet Users, 2007 (pt. 1)
Figure 17.2 | Demographics of U.S.
Internet Users, 2007 (pt. 2)
Figure 17.3 | Global Internet Usage,
2007