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Is Science Really Value Free?

The Science Teacher—January 2000

In general, the way that introductory courses in science are taught leads students to a limited view of science: science as totally objective—as the truth, constructed out of numbers, wires, and laboratory animals by faceless and dimensionless researchers. But if students come to see science as merely a list of facts, equations, and laws, then they and society will certainly be the losers. For science is a discipline where social forces, political pressures, and the personalities of scientists all play significant roles. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to claim that science is a value-free enterprise. This article was first published in February, 1986.
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