Science and politics in democratic contexts I: Scientific practice

Abstract

The political dimension of science has gained a particular interest in most recent decades for areas of knowledge like the Philosophy of science, as well as for political studies of science, history of science, among others. One reason for this development is that we are more conscious the results obtained by a scientist are a product of the interaction and interrelation of epistemic and none epistemic (the socio-political context) values. This dynamic is one of the factors which make progress in science possible and reflects, at the same time, its integrity. Based on the contributions provided by Philip Kitcher, I shall characterize in this paper the two forms to treat scientific knowledge from a philosophical perspective. I shall argue, following Kitcher, that the scientific practice (the epistemic aspect) and social aspects of knowledge (none epistemic aspects) are not two different and disconnected things, but a unity of reasons (theoretical and practical ones) which enable the progress of scientific knowledge.