Science, the Environment, and Society

1. Chapter 17
Science, the Environment,
and Society
Copyright © 2019 W. W. Norton & Company

2. Paradox
• Society invents technologies to
minimize dangers from nature,
but those same inventions
create new risks that need to
be managed.
• Click here to watch the paradox
animation:
https://digital.wwnorton.com/youmayask6

3. Science and Society
Slide 1 of 7
• Sociologists of science study
• how scientific communities
study the objects of their
research.
• how science changes how we
live and interact with each other.
• the unexpected social
consequences of scientific
discoveries.

4. Science and Society
Slide 2 of 7
According to Thomas Kuhn, scientific discovery isn’t a linear
process; rather, periods of normal science are ruptured by
scientific revolutions.
• A paradigm is the framework within which scientists
operate.
• Normal science is science conducted within an existing
paradigm.

5. Science and Society
Slide 3 of 7
• Thomas Kuhn theorized that scientific revolutions (or paradigm
shifts) occur when enough anomalies accrue during the practice
of normal science to challenge the existing paradigm, showing it to
be incomplete or inadequate.

6. Science and Society
Slide 4 of 7
The normative view of science is the idea that science follows
objective rules of evidence and is unaffected by the personal
beliefs or values of scientists.
In practice, however, social factors like funding, government
policies, interest groups, and international pressure or
competition can affect choices about what scientific research is
pursued.

7. Science and Society
Slide 5 of 7
• Boundary work refers to
research conducted on the
border between legitimate and
nonlegitimate science, either
within a specific scientific
discipline or between
disciplines.

8. Science and Society
Slide 6 of 7
Anthropologists Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar claimed that
scientific facts don’t just reveal themselves through experiments
and research.
Rather, they are socially constructed as scientists debate
findings, discuss results, and work through disagreements, all of
which is influenced by unequal power relations between
researchers.

9. Science and Society
Slide 7 of 7
The Matthew effect, a term coined by Robert Merton, refers to
the notion that certain scientific results get more notice and
have more influence based on the existing prestige of the
researchers involved.

10. Discussion Question 1
In your view, how realistic is the normative view of science?
Is this a standard to which all scientific researchers should be
held?

11. Agriculture and the Environment
Slide 1 of 9
• The majority of scientists agree
that the roots of global
warming can be linked to
human activity such as
deforestation and the burning
of coal, gas, and oil.

12. Agriculture and the Environment
Slide 2 of 9
At the same time, global warming is predicted to have a strong
impact on human society, primarily through devastating natural
disasters such as prolonged heat waves, more and bigger
hurricanes, and debilitating droughts.

13. Agriculture and the Environment
Slide 3 of 9
The organic food market creates stratification in two ways.
• Organic farming is expensive. Many smaller farmers cannot
afford to farm this way, so megafarms dominate the market
and use their influence to change policies and guidelines to
their advantage.
• Organic products are expensive, so high-income individuals
are much more likely to purchase them and reap their
benefits than low-income people.

14. Agriculture and the Environment
Slide 4 of 9
• Genetically modified foods,
also referred to as genetically
modified organisms (GMOs),
are products whose genetic
structures have been altered,
usually to make them produce
higher yields.

15. Agriculture and the Environment
Slide 5 of 9
Proponents argue that GMOs help bring down food prices,
reduce waste and dependence on pesticides and herbicides, and
even provide nutrients that may be missing from a population’s
diet.
Critics of GMOs argue that they create risks to the environment
and human health that have not been adequately evaluated.

16. Agriculture and the Environment
Slide 6 of 9
Ulrich Beck argued that risks can be grouped into two
categories:
• external risks (derived from nature)
• manufactured risks (resulting from human activities)
A risk society produces manufactured risks (like those from
GMOs) but also tries to mitigate them.

17. Agriculture and the Environment
Slide 7 of 9
The green revolution refers broadly to two agricultural trends of
the twentieth century: the introduction of high-yield crop
varietals in developing countries and improvements in
agricultural technologies such as irrigation systems, fertilizers,
and pesticides.

18. Agriculture and the Environment
Slide 8 of 9
The green revolution is widely credited with increasing
agricultural productivity throughout the developing world, with
a number of important results:
• Increased incomes
• Increases in the value of formal schooling
• Making farming more of a collective, community endeavor

19. Agriculture and the Environment
Slide 9 of 9
Critics of the green revolution argue that it makes farmers more
dependent on a smaller number of crops, with several negative
outcomes:
• Increased risks if crops fail
• Reduced variety in the diet
• Depletion of nutrients in the soil
• Increased pressure on water resources

20. Discussion Question 2
Come up with an example of a “manufactured risk”. How is this
risk managed in society?

21. The Human Genome
Slide 1 of 2
• The goal of the Human Genome
Project was to identify and
map all the genes in human
DNA.
• Researchers involved in the
project recognized that it
raised many social, ethical, and
legal issues, including possible
loss of privacy, stratification,
and stigmatization.

22. The Human Genome
Slide 2 of 2
DNA testing is now marketed for a variety of purposes, one of
which is to determine a person’s racial origins.
• However, there are still questions about the accuracy of the
testing and how this information might be used.
• DNA testing is not simply a straightforward scientific
process but rather is closely intertwined with social factors.

23. Alondra Nelson Interview
• Alondra Nelson describes her
research on genetic testing and
how it is changing the way
people think about race.
• Click here to watch the
interview:
https://digital.wwnorton.com/youmayask6

24. John Evans Interview
• John Evans discusses his
research on religion, bioethics,
and genetically modified
organisms.
• Click here to watch the
interview:
https://digital.wwnorton.com/youmayask6

25. Concept Quiz
Question 1 of 5
__________ can be defined as the theoretical framework that
orders the way a scientist, or any type of researcher, approaches
his or her work.
a) Normative science
b) A paradigm
c) Normal science
d) A paradigm shift

26. Concept Quiz
Question 2 of 5
Which of the following statements about organic foods is true?
a) They are generally sold within a few hundred miles of
where they are produced.
b) They are lower in fat than nonorganic foods.
c) They must contain 100 percent organic products in order
to be labeled organic.
d) They do not contain genetically modified ingredients.

27. Concept Quiz
Question 3 of 5
Which of the following is an example of an external risk?
a) an accident at a nuclear power plant
b) a parasite that attacks wheat crops
c) a bridge that collapses
d) surging oil prices that affect domestic car sales

28. Concept Quiz
Question 4 of 5
The green revolution has been credited with __________ in
developing countries.
a) reducing the tide of rural immigrants that flood big cities
b) reducing the demand on water resources
c) helping food production keep pace with population
growth
d) increasing the amount and variety of nutrients consumed
by populations

29. Concept Quiz
Question 5 of 5
_____ refers to maintaining the border between legitimate and
nonlegitimate science within a specific scientific discipline or
between legitimate disciplines.
a) The Matthew effect
b) Biotechnology
c) Boundary work
d) The social construction of science

30. Discussion Questions
1. Why might a sociologist be
interested in the
environment and
technology?
2. How might society impact
the environment and
technology?

31. Sociology on the Street
We constantly throw things away because they are used up,
broken, or no longer wanted. But where does all this stuff go?
Watch the Sociology on the Street video to find out more:
https://digital.wwnorton.com/youmayask6

32. 32
This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for:
Chapter 17
Science, the Environment,
and Society
For more learning resources, please visit:
digital.wwnorton.com/youmayask6
Copyright © 2019 W. W. Norton & Company