Luis Reyes-Galindo

There are widespread calls for increased demographic diversity in science, often linked to the epistemic claim that including more perspectives will improve the quality of the knowledge produced. By distinguishing between demographic and epistemic diversity, we show that this is only true some of the time. There are cases where increasing demographic diversity will not bring about the necessary epistemic diversity and cases where failing to exclude some voices reduces the quality of the scientific debate. We seek to resolve these tensions with an analysis that turns on the way the experience-based expertise of non-scientists can be absorbed into mainstream science. Mostly it has to be done via what we call ‘virtual diversity’, in which scientists take responsibility for acquiring interactional expertise in the non-scientific expertise-based domains which they consider provide knowledge valuable to the science. We argue that virtual diversity represents the only feasible option in most scenarios, with cases where demographic diversity or full cultural mergers provide the solution being the exception rather than the rule. This analysis is an exercise in the sociology of knowledge, which is considered as being continuous with philosophy. The paper is prescriptive as well as descriptive, and the moral, cultural, political, and educational implications of the argument are drawn out. A main conclusion is that the acquisition of virtual diversity should be a new norm for science, allowing the voices of experienced non-scientist citizens to be heard but without eroding the institution of science, which continues to be a vital foundation of truth in democracy.

Este valle que ves, taller de fuego, fábrica de volcanes, todo altura, es hoy la gigantesca arquitectura de lo que furia fue y es ya sosiego.1 – Carlos Pellicer (Soneto, fragmento, 1950)This is now...

This white paper outlines the plans of the History Philosophy Culture Working Group of the Next Generation Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration.

Este artículo pretende diversificar las perspectivas sobre el populismo usadas en los Estudios sobre Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad (Estudios CTS/STS), discutiendo una serie de enfrentamientos entre el populismo y las comunidades científicas locales en intervenciones recientes dentro de la política científica mexicana. El artículo se enfoca en la reorientación de la política científica mexicana iniciada por el gobierno durante el presente sexenio, la cual ha desestabilizado enérgicamente el sistema académico nacional. Específicamente, analiza el proyecto legislativo iniciado por el Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (Conacyt) que buscaba reconfigurar el marco normativo nacional en materia de ciencia, tecnología e innovación, y en paralelo, las controvertidas acciones políticas emprendidas por el Conacyt en contra de miembros de la comunidad científica. Contextualizando estos agravios, el artículo concluye que estas acciones demarcan un estilo de gobernanza científica que denomino “populismo por infiltración” que, a través del autoritarismo sistemático, busca imponer a la comunidad académica un modelo de “gobernanza populista de la ciencia”.

This article aims to diversify STS perspectives on populism by addressing a sequence of episodes of Mexican science policy in terms of clashes between populism and scientific communities. The article describes a reorientation of Mexican science policy that has destabilized the academic system during the present administration. Specifically, it looks at the legislative project initiated by Mexico’s National Science and Technology Council (Conacyt) to overhaul the national regulatory framework on science, technology and innovation, and controversial political actions taken by Conacyt against the scientific community. Contextualizing these grievances, the article concludes that at stake is a form of ‘trickle-down populism’ that, through systematic authoritarianism, seeks to impose on the academic community a model of ‘populist science governance’.

“Citizen science” has become, in recent years, an increasingly visible placeholder for various forms of public participation in science – even while the dominant definition of citizen science by sc...

This paper aims to diversify STS perspectives on populism by addressingMexican science policy as a case study of clashes between populism andscientific communities. The paper describes a reorientation of Mexicanscience policy that has destabilized the scientific/academic system duringthe present administration, specifically: 1) the legislative project initiatedby Mexico’s National Science and Technology Council (Conacyt) tooverhaul the national regulatory framework on science, technology andinnovation; and 2) controversial political actions taken by Conacytagainst the scientific community concomitantly. Contextualizing thesegrievances, the paper concludes that at stake is a form of ‘trickle-downpopulism’ that, through systematic authoritarianism, seeks to impose onthe academic community a model of ‘populist science governance.’

Água do céu Vem nesta cuia, Paticl vem nesta água, Moposêru vem nesta água, Sivuoímo vem nesta água, Omaispopo vem nesta água, Os donos da Água enxotem a dor-de-corno! Aracu, Mecumecuri, Paí que ve...

(2020). About the cover illustration for Volume 3. Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology and Society: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 9-14.