SOCI 325: Sociology of Science

Agenda

Theme 1:
Scientific outcomes
are social

  1. Engineered Inequality (Benjamin 2019)
  2. Modernity
  3. Science vs. technology
  4. Small-group discussions

Engineered inequality

Benjamin 2019

Engineered inequality

Screenshot of transcript with Microsoft Coplot. First, the user asks 'Which cat is cuter' with side-by-side images of two adorable kittens. Copilot responds '_Analyzing the image. Privacy blur hides faces from Copilot_ The cat on the left is 10% cuter than the cat on the right ☺️'

Engineered Inequity:
Are Robots Racist?

  • Chapter from Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code (2019)

Some themes

  • Social biases encoded in training data
  • Presumed role of intent in discussions of racism
    Related: institutional racism
  • Outsourcing of decisions to algorithms/machines to ensure "objectivity"
    Related: credit scores, criminal sentencing, IQ, BMI, educational attainment, …

Modernity

Modernity

Animation from Charlie Chaplin's 'Modern Times'. Chaplin is seated, strapped in to a table, while a machine shoves bites of food into his mouth from a plate.

Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times (1936)

What does ‘Modern’ even mean?

  • Not the same as ‘current’ or ‘contemporary’.
  • Modernity describes a major and ongoing shift in the way Western culture understands, interacts with, and talks about the world.
  • Shift from:
    Rural to urban
    Spiritual to rational
    Communal to individual
    Local to global
    Subjective to objective
    Heritage to bureaucracy

Modernity

Themes of modernity

Anthony Giddens, Modernity and Self-Identity (1991)

Separation of time and space

  • Shift in understanding of time and space from entangled and tied to place to independent and universal
  • Knowledge should be universal, not contextual
    Mechanical clocks and precise maps
  • Objective truth exists outside human experience

Disembedding of institutions

  • Institutions compartmentalized, so government, religion, family, science, etc. are distinct components of society
  • Expert systems standardize knowledge Trust in expertise (e.g. medicine)

Scientific method

Scientific method

Scientific method
is viewed as

Tweet by @upulie. A list illustrated with emoji rabbits: How to doing science - i did a read - i has an idea - i design experiment - i collect data - i analyse data - i report

Universal

  • Applicability to any question

Reliable

  • Reproducibility of research
  • Accessible to anyone

Represents an extremely Modern ethos

Science vs. technology.

Science vs. technology

Science vs. technology

  • Distinction between the ‘pure’ search for scientific knowledge and ‘practical’ application of that knowledge.
  • At best: ‘science’ and ‘technology’ describe idealized endeavors that are rarely realized.
  • At worst: the terms create a false dichotomy that hinders understanding of what scientists do.
  • Technoscience

Discussion

Discussion

In person

Online

Form groups of 4–5

  • At tables or outside of the classroom. Join a Teams room for your table

Form groups of 4–5

  • Choose a "discussion room" channel on Teams

Small-group discussions:

  • Choose one facilitator who will keep the discussion focused and make sure everyone is able to participate.
  • Choose one secretary who will take notes and summarize the group’s responses for submission.
  • Find the channel in Teams with your table number (there are two per table), go to the Files tab, and open the Word document.
  • Type your responses directly in the document and submit one document per group

Notes:

  • You do not need to reach consensus on the questions. Your write-up should mention the different points your group thought were relevant. One or two paragraphs worth of text per question should be sufficient.
    Please avoid bullet-point format.
  • You can discuss the questions in any order you like, and you do not need to respond to all of them. Read them all over before you begin!

Image credit

Screenshot of transcript with Microsoft Coplot. First, the user asks 'Which cat is cuter' with side-by-side images of two adorable kittens. Copilot responds '_Analyzing the image. Privacy blur hides faces from Copilot_ The cat on the left is 10% cuter than the cat on the right ☺️'

Screenshot from Microsoft Copilot, using images ([1], [2]) from fanpop.com

Animation from Charlie Chaplin's 'Modern Times'. Chaplin is seated, strapped in to a table, while a machine shoves bites of food into his mouth from a plate.

Animation from TCM on Giphy

Particle tracks from a bubble chamber

Image via elapsus.it

A complex engine with tubes and cables running over it

Photo by Luca J on Unsplash

--- # Modernity <div class="gridded" style="grid-template: 10% auto / 1fr 1fr 1fr"> <div class="leftheader" style="grid-area: 1/1/2/4"> ## Scientific method </div> <a href = "https://archive.ph/wD3dH"> <img class='dropshadowed' src='img/smethod1.png' style='object-fit: contain; height:auto; width:90%; grid-area: 2/1/3/2' alt="Tweet by @upulie. A list illustrated with emoji rabbits: How to doing science - i did a read - i has an idea - i design experiment - i collect data - i analyse data - i report"> </a> --- # Modernity <div class="gridded" style="grid-template: 10% auto / 1fr 1fr 1fr"> <div class="leftheader" style="grid-area: 1/1/2/4"> ## Scientific method </div> <a href = "https://archive.ph/wD3dH"> <img class='dropshadowed' src='img/smethod1.png' style='object-fit: contain; height:auto; width:90%; grid-area: 2/1/3/2' alt="Tweet by @upulie. A list illustrated with emoji rabbits: How to doing science - i did a read - i has an idea - i design experiment - i collect data - i analyse data - i report"> </a> <a href = "https://archive.ph/PpXqb"> <img class='dropshadowed' src='img/smethod2.png' style='object-fit: contain; height:auto; width:90%; grid-area: 2/2/3/3' alt="Tweet by @rdiazrincon. A list illustrated with emoji rabbits: More like: i did a read - i has an idea - i design experiment - i collect data - i analyse data - /wait what this data mean?"> </a> <a href = "https://archive.ph/EGCeT"> <img class='dropshadowed' src='img/smethod3.png' style='object-fit: contain; height:auto; width:90%; grid-area: 2/3/3/4' alt="Tweet by @Elen_biota. A list illustrated with emoji rabbits: I did a read - I discuss with my supervisors - I collect ideas - I try do do microbiology, bioinformatics, chemistry, statistics... - I am confused on who I am"> </a>