The biography of scientists as a means of communicating science: analogies concerning a hermeneutic or empirical problem

October 22nd, 2007 | RESEARCH

Sometimes scientists live real dramas or undergo social and psychological conflicts which have a positive or negative influence on the development and recognition of their research, discoveries and inventions in society, including the way they are recorded in history. This being so, the question is: to what extent can science be communicated to the public at large by the use of scientists' biographies as a motivational strategy? The controversy arises from the fact that usual (classical) science has traditionally argued for the separation (or de-linking) of the research (the object) from the researcher (the subject).Thus, if the above-mentioned motivational strategy is used in scientific communication, it could break a dominant methodological trend and consequently lead to a questioning of the myth of axiological neutrality in science. The communication of science by means of scientists' biographies could be useful for reaching a specific public, more directed towards emotional aspects, thereby awakening its interest in science, even amid cultural differences and in environments where interest in science and its utility is lacking. It could also reveal human aspects of the everyday life of scientists, bringing them closer to the public at large, which would contribute to the dissemination of science and knowledge.

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Maria Francisca Carniero, Author, Federal University of Paraná

Citation

Identifier Type: issn
Identifier: 1824-2049

Publication: Journal of Science Communication
Volume: 6
Number: 4

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Audience: General Public | Scientists
Discipline: General STEM | Nature of science
Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article | Research Products
Environment Type: Comics | Books | Newspapers | Media and Technology

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This material is supported by National Science Foundation award DRL-2229061, with previous support under DRL-1612739, DRL-1842633, DRL-1212803, and DRL-0638981. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations contained within InformalScience.org are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF.

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