The Everyday Practice of Science

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application requests support for preparation of a book-length manuscript entitled: "The Everyday Practice of Science." The proposed book will be directed towards scientists, educators, policy makers, and the general public interested in science. A clear understanding of the practice of biomedical research has important implications for science regulation, policy, and education as well as the public understanding of science. Most descriptions of science have been written from a theoretical perspective by philosophers and historians or from a cultural perspective by sociologists and anthropologists. In contrast, the PI s point of view is engagement in everyday practice. The resulting description of science embraces intuition, creativity, and passion without abandoning logic, objectivity and method. Moreover, the PI integrates his description of practice with exploration of the ethical dimensions of practice, thereby blending his roles as professor of cell biology and director of the ethics in science and medicine program at UT Southwestern. The first part of the book will offer a general description of practice by focusing on discovery, credibility, and self interest. Discovery means learning new things about the world; credibility means convincing one s peers that the discoveries are correct; self-interest influences every step of the process. The second part of the book will focus on specific aspects of practice relating to human research, genetics, and the relationship between science and other ways of practicing the world. If this application is funded, then the PI intends to devote 30% of his time over the next three years to write the proposed book.