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Science Under Attack

Some attack scientific rationality, others defend it, but both miss the point. What both parties take to be scientific rationality is actually a species of irrationality masquerading as scientific rationality. The current orthodox conception of science, taken for granted by scientists and non-scientists alike, is irrational because it suppresses problematic assumptions, inherent in the aims of science, having to do with metaphysics, values, and political and social issues. We urgently need a more rigorous conception of science to be adopted and implemented that honestly acknowledges the problematic character of the aims of science, and seeks to improve them as science proceeds.