Expertise in Crisis: The Ideological Contours of Public Scientific Controversies

by David S. Caudill

Overview

When the utility of masks or vaccinations became politicized during the COVID-19 pandemic and lost its mooring in scientific evidence, an already-developing crisis of expertise was exacerbated. Those who believe in consensus science wondered: “How can ‘those people’ not see the truth?”

With a foreword by Harry Collins, this book shows that the crisis is not a "scientific" controversy, but an ideological dispute with "believers" on both sides. If the advocates for consensus science acknowledge the uncertainties involved, rather than insisting on cold, hard facts, it is possible to open a pathway towards interaction and communication, even persuasion, between world views.

As the crisis of expertise continues to be a global issue, this will be an invaluable resource for readers concerned about polarized societies and the distrust of consensus science.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529230918
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	01/31/2023
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	114
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.99(h) x (d)

About the Author

David S. Caudill is Professor and Goldberg Family Chair of Law at Villanova University.

Table of Contents

Foreword - Harry Collins

1. Introduction

2. What caused, and how do we fix, our crisis of expertise?

3. Worldviews as "religious" frameworks

4. The quasi-religious aspect of the crisis of expertise

5. Belief as a form of expertise

6. Communicating across worldviews

7. Conclusion

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Professor Caudill has produced an important work that charts a challenging but illuminating middle path through the crisis of expertise that bedevils us today.” Edward K. Cheng, Vanderbilt Law School