Science Studies

“Science, engineering, and medicine are far too important to leave to the scientists”

Ever since my first year of college I’ve been interested in science, but not necessarily practicing or being within it.  So the happy compromise is studying science through a critical lens that treats science like another culture — like Filipino culture, like biking culture, like queer culture.  I’m not learning science necessarily to practice it, I’m learning science linguo to show how human an endeavor it is, partly to demystify its difficulty so that more people get into it.

My style is about analyzing the language and metaphors that scientists use.  Metaphors are likely derived from the scientists’ life experience and I’m interested in what metaphors they use that they picked up procedurally as part of being part of the scientific culture and metaphor they use to explain concepts to people.   Language and metaphor are a window into understanding how they think as individuals and might say something about the institution.  Perhaps with that window, I can shed light on their strengths, their achievements as well as their biases and limits.  Undertanding their strengths and achievements, and biases and limits through language perhaps can help improve the way science is done by the scientists themselves as well as the way it is perceived by the public and by politicians.

Science Studies Links

http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/features/science/ - Science Studies – How to Think About It

http://www.sts.rpi.edu/pl/science-studies-reading-list – Science Studies Literature

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Science–Technology–and-Society/index.htm – Syllabi, Interesting-Sounding Classes, and Literature in Science Studies

 

My Stuff:

Questioning the Kill Metaphor in Cancer

The Homonculus and the Non-Transcendent Language of Biology

Kudos to Nanotech:  The Instant Drinking Water Filter

Philosophical Nihlism, Recursivity, and Infinity

Review of A Cultural History of Numbers by Karl Menninger

The Wire, Number Fetishes, and Organic Ecology

From my Old Website (2003-2005) Recognize that I was 19-21 and ranting!:

Being a Doctor in Western Society

What Constitutes Interesting?

Exactly What Are Facts?

Who Would You Rather Be?  Michael Jordan or James A. Naismith?

Don’t Be a Slave to Specialization

Standards and Rules:  Act Your Age