Opis: Impartial Science - Bonnie B. Spanier

Scientists present biology, the science of life, as impartial and objective. This book offers evidence to the contrary, showing that what counts as mainstream biology - in this case, the biology of life at the cell and molecular levels - is actually a partial vision skewed by invisible biases. Im/partial Science examines the reproduction of knowledge about molecular biology, exploring what the formal discourse of scientists and scientist-educators in molecular biology reveals about the impact of traditional gender beliefs on this ostensibly non-gendered subject matter. Bonnie Spanier illuminates the biases, distortions, and implicit values in this field by analyzing its language, paradigms, and major principles. In textbooks and scientific journals, for example, non-gendered bacteria are described as 'male' and 'female', often in the service of traditional models of dominant-subordinate relationships. By treating the impact of sexual ideology on our thinking about 'the building blocks of life', Spanier calls for a cooperative relationship between science and feminism and helps us understand science in the social, economic, and political contexts in which it is inextricably enmeshed. "... this is an outstanding book. Closely argued and clearly written, it offers astonishing insights into the alchemy by which ideology gets transmuted into scientific fact." - Women and Health "... a significant contribution for those positioned at the nexus of rhetoric, feminism, and science...richly detailed analysis that demonstrates how ideological underpinnings shape both the construction of science and a discipline that claims to hold answers to the mysteries of life." - Quarterly Journal of Speech "As a molecular biologist and women's studies director, Spanier's expertise and awareness of these two fields converge in her knowledgeable discussion of the formal representations of molecular biology and their inherent gender ideology." - Choice " ... an eye-opening introduction to the way philosophical views influence biology. Physicians should sit up and take special notice of Spanier's work. If harmful, unexamined social assumptions penetrate the core of biology, it is doubtful that the rest of biology is untouched by them." - Journal of the American Medical Association "Spanier's critique brings the strengths of feminist science theory to the heart of contemporary science. Moreover, Spanier speaks to natural scientists and to feminist scholars as a scientist, and that is especially valuable to both groups. The book is original, interesting, ambitious, and well-conceptualized." Sandra HardingPreface Acknowledgements Part I: Context and Methodology 1. Molecular Biology from a Feminist Perspective An Introduction 2. Bridging the Gulf Feminism and Molecular Biology 3. Methodology Part II: Gender Ideology in the Content of Molecular Biology 4. Sex and the Single Cell Distorting Genetics 5. Sex and Molecules From Hormones to Brains 6. From Menstruation to DNA Centralized Control 7. Power at a Price Unifying Principles Part III: Science and Society in Molecular Biology 8. Molecular Biology Disinterested Science? Conclusion: Strengthening the Bridge Appendix A. Fields of Graduate Study in Biology Appendix B. Field Definitions from Peterson's Guide Appendix C. Fields and Techniques Notes Index

Szczegóły: Impartial Science - Bonnie B. Spanier

Tytuł: Impartial Science
Autor: Bonnie B. Spanier
Producent: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253209689
Rok produkcji: 1995
Ilość stron: 232
Oprawa: Miękka
Waga: 0.5 kg

Recenzje: Impartial Science - Bonnie B. Spanier