In defense of “targeting” some dissent about science

Nash, Erin J.

Abstract

In a recent article in this journal—“Who’s Afraid of Dissent?”—Immaculada de Melo-Martín and Kristen Intemann argue that “targeting” dissent about science that is perceived to be problematic is both misguided and dangerous. I contend that their argument is unsuccessful. I present the Probability Argument to demonstrate that, in some circumstances, targeting problematic dissent will be a sound and reasonable response. Moreover, because not targeting dissent can also be misguided and dangerous, and because there are risks associated with leaning too heavily on education as a solution, it will sometimes be the case that targeting dissent is the best all-things-considered option. I sketch what is required for a more nuanced and contextual approach to evaluating and responding to dissent.

Citation

Nash, E. J. (2018). In defense of “targeting” some dissent about science. Perspectives on Science, 26(3), 325-359. https://doi.org/10.1162/posc_a_00277

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: May 31, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jun 15, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 1, 2018
• Journal: Perspectives on Science
• Print ISSN: 1063-6145
• Electronic ISSN: 1530-9274
• Publisher: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 325-359
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/posc_a_00277
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1699879