Social and Political Uses of Quantification

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Dr. Porter is studying the social and political role of quantification. He argues that the "objectivity" of quantitative arguments is not simply a matter of appearing true, but also of being highly standardized, or governed by explicit rules. Quantitative reasoning is valued in the political realm in part because it seems to be independent of the biases and interests of individuals, and hence to be quintessentially "public" knowledge. Dr. Porter is examining from this standpoint the history of some of the most widely-used modern methods for reducing decisions to calculations. His research emphasizes the uses of cost-benefit analysis and, if time is available, statistical methods for detecting weak causes (such as carcinogenicity in chemicals). This is the first serious historical study of either of these methods, and indeed the first systematic attempt to understand historically the vastly-increased importance of quantification in public life. His standpoint throughout is that of the history of science, and he compares these public uses of calculation with quantitative norms for reporting experimental results, such as the significance test.