Nature Of Science Itself - LECT 2 Flashcards
1
Q
What are 2 benefits to citizen science and give an example?
A
- cheap and fast
- promotes public engagement with science
- eg. Monitoring ecology and wildlife preservation programs
2
Q
What was the concern about mutant bird flu about?
A
- created mutant strains of the virus
- the virus should not be published
- would cause major pandemic if released accidentally or deliberately as a bio-weapon
- wanted to publish as viruses mutate naturally all the time
3
Q
What are 3 concerns with radical openness?
A
- powerful and downright dangerous
- possibility of knowledge = enabled mass destruction
- need attack plans to prevent uncontrolled release
4
Q
What are 4 concerns with science 2.0?
A
- concerns of posting crucial findings for anyone to see and comment
- radical ‘open access’ make method more collaborative
- risk exploitation and copying = unjust credit gain
- risk that invested time will be wasted
5
Q
What are 4 weaknesses of peer review and publications?
A
- scientific methods = poor at dealing with rare phenomena
- publication process is slow
- free availability is limited
- power can be mistreated = unethical
6
Q
What are 5 strengths of peer review and publications?
A
- quality control mechanism
- food descriptions of reality
- produces practical solutions for modern life
- sharing knowledge = ideally freely available
- process builds strongly and incrementally
7
Q
What is the purpose of scientist reputation and publications?
A
- reputation = publish discoveries in a reputable place
- peer review = expert ‘quality control’
- publications = credibility to your status
