Values in science
an educational perspective
pp. 185-196
in: Fabio Bevilacqua, Enrico Giannetto, Michael R. Matthews (eds), Science education and culture, Berlin, Springer, 2001Abstract
Science is not value-free, nor does it provide the only model of objectivity. Epistemic values guide the pursuit and methods of science. Cultural values, however, inevitably enter through individual practitioners. Still, the social structure of science embodies a critical system of checks and balances, and it is strengthened by a diversity of values, not fewer. Science also exports values to the broader culture, both posing new values-questions based on new discoveries, and providing a misleading model for rational decision-making. Science teachers who understand the multi-faceted relationship between science and values can guide students more effectively in fully appreciating the nature of science through reflexive exercises and case studies.