To ordinary people, science used to seem infallible. Scientists were
heroes, selflessly pursuing knowledge for the common good. More
recently, a series of scientific scandals, frauds and failures have led
us to question science's pre-eminence. Revelations such as Climategate,
or debates about the safety of the MMR vaccine, have dented our
confidence in science.
In this provocative new book Harry Collins seeks to redeem scientific
expertise, and reasserts science's special status. Despite the messy
realities of day-to-day scientific endeavor, he emphasizes the superior
moral qualities of science, dismissing the dubious "default" expertise
displayed by many of those outside the scientific community. Science, he
argues, should serve as an example to ordinary citizens of how to think
and act, and not the other way round.