A Tapestry of Values

An Introduction to Values in Science

Kevin C. Elliott

More accessible than other scholarship on values in science — appropriate for lower-level undergraduate courses
Relevant for courses in many different subject areas: history, philosophy, and sociology of science; science and technology studies; science policy; research ethics; and environmental studies
Examines case studies from many different areas of research, including climate science, anthropology, chemical risk assessment, ecology, neurobiology, biomedical research, and agriculture
Highlights multiple strategies for fostering engagement between stakeholders so that value influences can be identified and subjected to critical scrutiny

A Tapestry of Values

An Introduction to Values in Science

Kevin C. Elliott

Description

The role of values in scientific research has become an important topic of discussion in both scholarly and popular debates. Pundits across the political spectrum worry that research on topics like climate change, evolutionary theory, vaccine safety, and genetically modified foods has become overly politicized. At the same time, it is clear that values play an important role in science by limiting unethical forms of research and by deciding what areas of research have the greatest relevance for society. Deciding how to distinguish legitimate and illegitimate influences of values in scientific research is a matter of vital importance.
Recently, philosophers of science have written a great deal on this topic, but most of their work has been directed toward a scholarly audience. This book makes the contemporary philosophical literature on science and values accessible to a wide readership. It examines case studies from a variety of research areas, including climate science, anthropology, chemical risk assessment, ecology, neurobiology, biomedical research, and agriculture. These cases show that values have necessary roles to play in identifying research topics, choosing research questions, determining the aims of inquiry, responding to uncertainty, and deciding how to communicate information.
Kevin Elliott focuses not just on describing roles for values but also on determining when their influences are actually appropriate. He emphasizes several conditions for incorporating values in a legitimate fashion, and highlights multiple strategies for fostering engagement between stakeholders so that value influences can be subjected to careful and critical scrutiny.

A Tapestry of Values

An Introduction to Values in Science

Kevin C. Elliott

Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter One: An Introduction to Values in Science
Chapter Two: What Should We Study?
Chapter Three: How Should We Study It?
Chapter Four: What Are We Trying to Accomplish?
Chapter Five: What If We Are Uncertain?
Chapter Six: How Should We Talk about It?
Chapter Seven: How Can We Engage with These Values?
Chapter Eight: Conclusion: A Tapestry of Values
References

A Tapestry of Values

An Introduction to Values in Science

Kevin C. Elliott

Author Information

Kevin C. Elliott, Associate Professor, Lyman-Briggs College and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University

Kevin Elliott is an Associate Professor in Lyman Briggs College, the Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, and the Department of Philosophy at Michigan State University. He is the author of Is a Little Pollution Good for You? Incorporating Societal Values in Environmental Research (Oxford University Press, 2011), and his work in the philosophy of science and practical ethics has been published in a wide range of academic journals and edited books.

A Tapestry of Values

An Introduction to Values in Science

Kevin C. Elliott

Reviews and Awards

"A Tapestry of Values: an introduction to values in Science is a must-have book for those who use or teach any aspect of science. Tapestry will help people learn to recognize the presence of values in science, and assess their impact and legitimacy. By doing so, we will be able to have a much richer and more meaningful and productive conversation about how science can help us to achieve better societies, and we will be able to carry out scientific practices more responsibly in pursuit of this aim." - Erin J. Nash, Science & Education

"Kevin C. Elliott's new book, A Tapestry of Values: An Introduction to Values in Science ...is an exemplar, I think, of a lucid, engaging, and accessible introduction to a topic that is not only philosophically interesting, but also highly practically relevant and socially important...a must-have book for those who use or teach any aspect of science." - Erin J. Nash, Science & Education