對於科學只剩下懷疑論了嗎？

這是SSK健將之一的Collins在Nature上的一篇短文，簡要地講述了他對科學以及近來對於科學的、後現代論者的看法：

Nowadays, however, I wonder if the science warriors might have been right to be worried about the (unintended) consequences of what social constructivists were doing. We may have got too much of what we wished for. The founding myth of the individual scientist using evidence to stand against the power of church or state — which has a central role in Western societies — has been replaced with a model in which Machiavellian scientists engage in artful collaboration with the powerful. (......) Just showing there is some doubt about an issue, or another side to the story — at which we social scientists are nowadays unbeatable — does not inform you what to do in a case such as this. [1]

他對於這種後現代傾向的憂慮，雖然其觀察是建立於歐美的事件（反疫苗運動、Steve Fuller支持神創論等），有些卻也讓我感同身受—社會研究者的確不能／該沈淪為只是對科學抱持著無止盡的懷疑，這些的社會研究，除了容易被視為「反科學」外（但可能它們的確是），在行動上也無法有什麼額外的貢獻。

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[1] Harry Collins(2009). "We cannot live by scepticism alone",in Nature 458, pp.30-31.