Critiques of Big Science

Martin, Joseph D.

Abstract

The name “big science,” like “big bang” or “big pharma,” began as a slur. Big science, that is, has been the subject of critique for at least as long as we have had a name for it. This chapter explores that legacy. It demonstrates how big science became pivot point in disagreements over the social and cultural value of scientific inquiry, how those debates exposed disciplinary rivalries and jealousies, and how debates about the merits of big science within the science community translated into the world of policymaking, in particular as big science became megascience toward the end of the twentieth century.

Citation

Martin, J. D. (2023). Critiques of Big Science. In P. Charitos, T. Arabatzis, H. Cliff, G. Dissertori, J. Forneris, & J. Li-Ying (Eds.), Big Science in the 21st Century: Economic and Societal Impacts. IOP Publishing

• Online Publication Date: Sep 30, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023
• Deposit Date: Aug 19, 2021
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Book Title: Big Science in the 21st Century: Economic and Societal Impacts
• Chapter Number: 7
• ISBN: 9780750336291
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1624928
• Publisher URL: https://iopscience.iop.org/bookList
• Contract Date: Aug 18, 2021