Abstract
In a series of influential papers composed together with Jerry Ravetz, Silvio Funtowicz attempts to sketch the methodology of a new type of science: Post-Normal Science. To state it right at the start: I’m not convinced. I strongly doubt that Funtowicz has managed to provide categories that are suitable for singling out a significant, new phenomenon. That is, I wish to make three claims:
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1.
The collection of properties he lists fails to capture the essential characteristics of policy-related research.
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2.
These properties do not affect the structure of science; no methodological issues are concerned here.
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3.
The suggested restrictions are by no means historically novel; rather, they have been part of science since its inception.1
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References
Funtowicz S O, Ravetz J R (1994) Uncertainty, Complexity and Post-Normal Science. In: Experimental Toxicology and Chemistry 13: 1881 – 1885.
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Carrier, M. (2001). Business as Usual: On the Prospects of Normality in Scientific Research. In: Decker, M., Wütscher, F. (eds) Interdisciplinarity in Technology Assessment. Wissenschaftsethik und Technikfolgenbeurteilung, vol 11. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04371-4_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04371-4_3
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