The Buck Stops Here Too

Abstract

Should geophysicists (such as the typical readers of this column) be expected to feel any kind of professional responsibility, beyond the (fully legitimate) interests of themselves and their employers, to society at large? While all must seek their own answers to this, I would like to use this question as a starting point for some reflections on the role of science in general in society and on our societal roles as professional geophysicists. The times when science could enjoy a pivotal and more or less unquestioned role in society are over, and no regrets should be felt in that respect. However, it is disturbing when some scientists now prefer not to admit openly their indebtedness, in the best rational tradition, to the Enlightenment. There is a dragon on the loose, and who dares to go against it? it appears under many disguises, one of the most common of which is postmodernism. It can change both color and shape depending on the situation, and recently we have seen and felt its fire during the so-called “science war.” As the rumor goes, this Zeitgeist was revived (there is a medieval link here, too) as a reaction to the logical positivism of the Vienna Circle after the First World War. The essence of the problem is that we scientists are confronted with people, some of whom are intellectuals with considerable recognition, who vigorously subscribe to the principle of epistemological relativism (also called Cole Porter's law: Anything goes )... Is this not just some weird philosophical nerdism? Unfortunately, our monster is not that innocent. The essence of the problem is that we scientists are confronted with people, some of whom are intellectuals with considerable recognition, who vigorously subscribe to the principle of epistemological relativism (also called Cole Porter's law: Anything goes), claiming that scientific …