NARRATIVES OF HUMILITY: New Approaches to Writing About Science and Technology

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NARRATIVES OF HUMILITY New Approaches to
Writing About Science and Technology

• Rick Borchelt
• Genetics Public Policy Center
• Johns Hopkins University
• www.DNApolicy.org

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Narratives of Humility

• Drawing for this presentation on recent work by
  Sheila Jasanoff, Technologies of humility
  citizen participation in governing science.
• Technologies of hubris versus technologies of
  humility
• 2003, Minerva 41 (3) 223-244

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Narratives of Humility

• Jasanoff posits that science is usually framed in
  terms of a technology of hubris, that is, as
  linear, objective, problem-solving, and
  self-policing.
• Framed this way by scientists, but also by
  journalists

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Narratives of Humility

• A Field Guide to Science Leads
• Objective Lead (5Ws)
• Mystery Lead (and related Contrarian)
• Eureka! Lead (and related Pollyanna)
• Rhetorical Question Lead

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Narratives of Humility
Objective
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Narratives of Humility
Mystery
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Narratives of Humility
Contrarian
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Narratives of Humility
Contrarian
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Narratives of Humility
Eureka
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Narratives of Humility
Eureka
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Narratives of Humility
Pollyanna
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Narratives of Humility
Rhetorical Question
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Narratives of Humility

• Each of these lead types reinforces and
  perpetuates science as a technology of hubris.
• Infallible (no records of trial and error)
• Linear (steps and breakthroughs)
• Same would be true of 95 of journalistic science
  coverage, as well

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Narratives of Humility

• What is the problem with framing science as a
  technology of hubris?
• Creates unrealistic expectations
• Erodes confidence in scientific enterprise when
  inevitable errors occur
• Cultivates a cynical public

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Narratives of Humility

• Framing science as a technology of humility, on
  the other hand, would highlight
• Trial and error
• Significance of failure
• Episodic and nonlinear nature of discovery

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Narratives of Humility

• Product journalism focuses on the finding,
  the outcome, the social implication
• Process journalism focuses on the process and
  people of science

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Narratives of Humility

• Characteristics of product journalism
• Appear seemingly out of nowhere
• Announce a breakthrough or step forward or
  advance
• Frames the can do aspect of science --
  technologies of hubris

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Narratives of Humility

• In the event of a discovered problem after
  initial reportage, product journalism has two
  choices
• Focus on another product, conviction or legal
  process, ignoring the science
• introduce the process post-facto bewildering to
  the reader, difficult to walk back through the
  process chain

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Narratives of Humility
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Narratives of Humility
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Narratives of Humility
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Narratives of Humility

• Characteristics of process journalism
• Appear in a social/societal context
• Emphasize science as incremental
• Report negative results
• Frames the should do questions of science
  technologies of humility

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Narratives of Humility

• We need to begin to utilize narratives of
  humility in science writing and in science
  journalism
• Covers process as well as product
• Profiles the discoverers and their methods, not
  just discoveries

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Narratives of Humility

• When to engage narratives of humility?
• normal science ordinary scientific research
• consultancy science science applied to
  well-characterized problems
• post-normal or deviant science highly
  uncertain, highly contested knowledge (i.e., for
  health, environmental decision making)
• Funtowicz Ravetz, 1992, Three types of risk
  assessment and the emergence of post normal
  science.