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Outline on Weber
on Values in Science
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Max Weber originated idea of value free science, but
even he knew it was impossible to accomplish |
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Weber held that science cannot decide value issues |
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For Weber, the clarity of issues is all that science can offer
us |
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Science can provide us w/ means but not ends |
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Science can never show the way to true values |
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A conflict of values is inevitable |
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Values can never be arranged through science, or otherwise, into one
universal scale |
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Weber demonstrated that it is difficult not to use Science to
determine values because science offers insight: |
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- into the nature of human actions |
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- into the meaning of certain goals |
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- into the means of attaining goals |
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- into the costs & consequences for those goals & goals not
pursued |
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Weber was one of the first people to maintain that the sciences
should try to minimize values in research |
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For most of the public AND many scientists (social & natural),
there is assumption that science is neutral, i.e. value free |
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But we must realize that value free science is a noble, but relatively
unattainable goal |
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Science often assumes a particular set of values |
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Values are personal judgments or preferences about what is considered
good or bad, or about what is liked or disliked |
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Values & theory overlap because many of our value judgments are
unproven "personal theories" however, this should not lead us to the belief
that scientific theories can prove values |
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Values, unlike scientific theory, can never be proven |
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If we have a question of values, that should be resolved by the political
process, the religious process, etc. |
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Questions of science can be resolved, questions of values cannot |
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It is difficult to separate values & science on many issues
- abortion
- death penalty
- pollution
- unemployment policy.... |
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What are the questions of values & science here or in other issues? |
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A value loaded statement is one that purports to be neutral
but has value statements |
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Examples of loaded statements |
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How do values enter into research? |
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Weber proposed value free science, though he understood that
this is an impossible goal, it is something to be striven for |
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Today science has established a mantle of objectivity which
holds "science is value free" |
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Values enter the scientific process through FIVE Avenues |
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a. Values enter the scientific process through the sponsor
of the research who inevitably has some interest in the outcome of the
research |
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The influence of the sponsor can be minimized by asking 'Who are is
the researcher working for? What are the interests of the sponsor?' |
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b. Values enter the scientific process through the perspective
or paradigm the researcher is researching from |
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For researchers, the bias inherent in a paradigm is difficult to account
for because they often have difficulty conceptualizing factors that lie
outside their paradigm |
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The influence of perspectives or paradigms can be seen in that different
fields of science work w/in different theoretical frameworks, & are
based on a set of different theories or models |
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Sociology has the paradigms of functionalism, conflict theory, &
symbolic interactionism |
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Astronomy has the paradigms of the collapsing universe, the expanding
universe, & the rapidly expanding universe |
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c. Values enter the scientific process through hypothesis
formulation, the question is the researcher exploring, the statement
of the problem |
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Values enter in hypothesis formulation because 'the answer you get
depends on the question you ask' |
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Values may be minimized in research by exploring a variety of questions
& hypotheses & by using a variety of research methods, since each
method asks the research question in a different manner |
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d. Values enter the scientific process through the processes
of generalization & interpretation |
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Among various researchers, there is often strong disagreement over
the interpretation of the same data |
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e. Values enter the scientific process through bad science
in the form of hoaxes & faulty research |
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In research today, there is a very small amount of hoaxes or faked
science |
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In research today, there is a very small amount of faulty or erroneous
science |
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The Scientific Method attempts to mitigate effect of values
by making research process visible to all through the principle of organized
skepticism |
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Methods & Conclusions |
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Values usually do not enter the research process in the application
or methods of the study, but each type of methods has its own bias |
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Values are legitimately relegated to the conclusion of a research project
where they are identified as such |
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See: Epistemology & the Antidotes to Bias |
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a. Antidote: Question Knowledge; Have no blind faith in science;
Keep on Questioning "Question Authority" |
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b. Antidote: Ask, "Who benefits from a given bit of knowledge?" |
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c. Antidote: Ask "Who controls or creates a given bit of
knowledge?" |
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