Department Member, History
About
I examine how scientific problems are ultimately declared "scientific" in nature. Understanding the interface between social and scientific problems allows greater awareness and understanding for the nature of scientific inquiry and the role of science in society. Responding to a few key questions helps focus my research. First, how are problems legitimately deemed "rational" or "scientific" to the point that scientists are called into solve them? Second, what values/beliefs/norms go into distinguishing social and scientific problems? Finally, with those two questions as pillars, are there any limits in the kinds of inquiries scientists can pursue, particularly those kinds of problems that are more social in nature. This has a very close relationship to how historians understand the relationship between religion and science in that both seek to understand the criteria by which problems are demarcated into specific areas of expertise.
My research hopes to inform discussions and public understanding of the role of science in policymaking through historical analysis.
