The Politics of Climate Change Part 2

The history of science parallels the evolving nature of a society it exists within. The relationship between science and society is one of interdependency. One can not live without the other. This interdependency does not imply harmony. If anything it is the disharmony and friction it creates is its' true power and value. This is the essence of human evolution.

This friction in political terms is played out in two key ways: 1). how it is organised within a society i.e. the realms of public science and private science, and 2). the ownership of scientific knowledge. Public science dominated by government funding on behalf of its citizens reflects the belief that scientific knowledge must have some public ownership and public policy goals to maximise its benefits for the social welfare of society. Private science dominated by private funding from corporations and investors reflects the belief science should have some private ownership and private goals in order to maximise economic gain for themselves and the broader economy. In practice, public and private science is interdependent, both feeding the goals of the other.  But at times it creates its own disharmony, often displayed in the politics of control over scientific knowledge. The controversy over patenting genes could be one example. The politics of control of science does not just reflect is utilitarian value in political, economic or social terms but also its metaphysical value. The faith-based explanation of the world and its conflict with the scientific explanation, suggests the human desire for a unitary understanding of the world that is, the "why" of existence is an important element in determining a society's ability to accept science as enhancing meaning not undermining it.
CD