The Silences of Science: Gaps and Pauses in the Communication of Science

Description

Over the last half century scholars from a range of disciplines have attempted to theorise silence. Naively we tend to think of silence negatively, as a lack, an emptiness. Yet silence studies shows that silence is more than mere absence. All speech incorporates silence, not only in the gaps between words or the pauses that facilitate turn taking, but in the omissions that result from the necessary selectivity of communicative acts. Thus silence is significant in and of itself; it is a sign that has socially-constructed (albeit context -dependent and ambiguous) meanings. To date, studies of science communication have focussed on what is said rather than what is not said. They have highlighted the content of communication rather than its form, and have largely ignored the gaps, pauses and lacunae that are an essential, and meaningful, part of any communicative act. Both the sociology of science and the history of science have also failed to highlight the varied functions of silence in the practice of science, despite interests in tacit knowledge and cultures of secrecy. Through a range of case studies from historical and contemporary situations, this volume draws attention to the significance of silence, its different qualities and uses, and the nature, function and meaning of silence for science and technology studies. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of illustrations List of contributors Introduction: The communicative functions of silence in science Signifying silence A typology of silence External, suppressive silences Internal, suppressive silences Internal, generative silences External, generative silences Epistemological silences Tuning in to silence References Part I: Choosing silence 1. ‘He didn’t go round the conference circuit talking about it’: Oral histories of Joseph Farman and the ozone hole Introduction Recording ozone Saying nothing The ozone hole Talking about the ozone hole to the media and politicians Conclusion Notes References 2. Darwin’s silence: An anatomy of quietude Introduction The race to the top A quiet place to work A good time to publish Someone to turn to References 3. ‘Tired with this subject …’: Isaac Newton on publishing and the ideal natural philosopher Introduction All was light … A new theory of light and colour Storm and silence Deliberations From light to darkness Some concluding remarks Postscript Notes References 4. Engineers at the patient’s bedside: The case of silence in inter-institutional educational innovation Introduction A dynamic and relational perspective on innovation A case study of innovation in education Silence as a strategy for facilitating collaboration References Part II: Cultures of silence 5. Talking about secrets: The Hanford nuclear facility and news reporting of silence, 1945–1989 Problematizing Hanford in the Accounting for the dynamics of silence Conclusions Notes References 6. Silence and selection: The ‘trick cyclist’ at the War Office Selection Boards Speaking up on selection Strategic and problematic silences at selection boards Attempts to silence the ‘trick cyclist’ Conclusion: was the ‘trick cyclist’ silenced? Notes References 7. The silenced subject: Oral history and the experience of cancer research Introduction A case for subjectivity ‘It wasn’t spoken about’ ‘The decision has to be yourself’ ‘I’ll do this one for you’ ‘Tell me what it is in English’ ‘Neither treatment would let me down’ ‘They must know more than they’re saying’ Conclusion Notes References 8. Reconstructing ancient thought: The case of Ancient Egyptian mathematics Introduction Survival of evidence Main sources Multiplication Unit fractions The 2/n table Translation problems Modern maths as a yardstick Greek opinion Conclusion Notes References 9. Meditations on silence: The (non-)conveying of the experiential in scientific accounts of Buddhist meditation Putting experience into words Moon pointing: ‘can nots’ and ‘should nots’ of recounting meditation Meditation under trial: what is not being rendered in words Recent experiences in contemplative neuroscience and neurophenomenology Concluding remarks Notes References Part III: Silences in the public sphere 10. The silent introduction of synthetic dyestuffs into nineteenth-century food Unintended uses A discovery of wonder Artificial food colouring before aniline dyes Aniline dyes silently replace metals Fears centred on foreign food Scientists ignore public concern Public analysts fight for recognition Chemical dyes prove elusive Food is a political issue Conclusion Notes References 11. Having it all: Ownership in open science The ideal of open science These data are mine It’s not real work ... Why did I bother getting this Ph.D? The quality of data Navigating the data flow Conclusion References 12. Shocking silences: The management and distribution of silences around TASER TM Characterising TASER Silences in the STS literature The distribution and management of ambiguities From ambiguities to silences The existing literature on TASER The distribution and management of silences around TASER Conclusion Notes References 13. ‘An outcry of silences’ Charles Hoy Fort and the uncanny voices of science ‘So Charles Fort has written a – whatever it is’: introducing Fort’s life and work ‘Are you a follower of the late Charles Fort?’: reading communities as judges ‘The new American would need to think in contradictions’: belief and earnestness Conclusion Notes References Index