Does Science Matter?

Synopsis

Looks at the strength of the arguments in support of the claims that the public ‘should know more about science’. Loosely based on a article by Professor John Durant, four arguments are set: 1) practical: while scientific ‘facts’ are unhelpful, some scientific principles of science, such as the control trial and peer review, are; 2) economical: scientific knowledge is needed only for research, not for the average person; 3) democratic: the public misunderstand risk in a scientific sense, but can evaluate and use it. The public could also gain from understanding the conjectural nature of scientific knowledge; 4) cultural: scientific knowledge is interesting in its own right.

Series

Science Matters, Course S280

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 49 min.

Year of production

1994

Availability

Sale; 1999 sale: £195.00 (+VAT +p&p)

Subjects

Science

Keywords

public understanding of science

Credits

Producer

David Poyser

Production Company

Name

BBC Open University Productions

Distributor

Name

Open University Worldwide

Web

http://www.ouw.co.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 1908 274066

Address

Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

Notes

NB. As of May 2016 Open University Worldwide are no longer distributing DVDs. They have posted this message on their website: ‘Unfortunately Open University Worldwide Limited has decided that product sales are no longer viable given the reduced funding to Higher Education institutions and diminishing demand for the products we have traditionally stocked. At present the Open University Students Association (OUSA) will continue to sell the "Good Study Guide", and we are in discussion with other possible distributors to continue to make The Open University’s products available for purchase. As soon as we have any information on other channels of distribution we will update this notice’. Some products are still available via second hand dealers on Amazon.co.uk