[MetaSTEM] Next week: Dan Hicks on the rival aims of science

[Tyler Marghetis]

Hi folks,

See you tomorrow! We’ll share lunch while hearing from Dan about the
epistemic aims of science.

Till soon,
Tyler

On Fri, Oct 17, 2025 at 12:47 PM Tyler Marghetis <tyler.marghetis at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi MetaSTEMmers,
>
> Join us next week for the second talk of the year in our MetaSTEM research
> seminar series. Info below. Thanks to Dan for speaking, and to Christian
> for catering the lunchboxes.
>
> See you there!
>
> Best,
> Tyler
>
> *When:* Thursday, October 23, 12:30-1:30pm
> *Where:* SSM 230
> *Who:* Dan Hicks, presenting work with Emilio Lobato, Cosmo Campbell,
> Joseph Dad
> *What:* "Rival aims of science in an environmental controversy"
> *Abstract: *
>
>> Environmental controversies are often framed in terms of "science vs.
>> anti-science," with leftists and progressives typically claiming the side
>> of science. However, their opponents often appeal to science as well. Hicks
>> (2022) proposed that two rival views of the aims of science might be at
>> play in these kinds of controversies.  On the "narrow view" science has
>> purely epistemic aims; while the "broad view" takes science to also have
>> pragmatic or practical aims.
>
>
>> We argue that these rival views can be seen in the controversy over the
>> proposed US EPA open data rule "Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory
>> Science." The original justification for the rule appealed to the narrative
>> of a science-wide replication crisis and the open science movement. In
>> public comments, supporters of the rule likewise appealed to the narrow
>> view of science, criticizing the titular "regulatory science" in epistemic
>> rather than practical terms. While opponents of the rule appealed to the
>> broad view, connecting science to the practical aim of protecting human
>> health.
>
>
>> We analyze approximately 21,000 public comments on the proposed rule,
>> combining manual coding with machine learning to classify every comment as
>> supporting or opposing, and using natural language processing (NLP) and
>> text mining methods to compare how supporters and opponents talk about
>> science in their comments.
>
>
>
> Reference: Hicks, Daniel J. 2022. “When Virtues Are Vices: ‘Anti-Science’
>> Epistemic Values in Environmental Politics.” *Philosophy, Theory, and
>> Practice in Biology* 14 (0). https://doi.org/10.3998/.2629.
>
>
> --
> Tyler Marghetis, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor, Cognitive & Information Sciences
> University of California, Merced
> www.tylermarghetis.com
> tyler.marghetis at gmail.com | +1.619.252.7798
> I use the pronouns: he, him, his
> I have moderate face-blindness
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopagnosia>; if you see me out of
> context, I may not recognize you
>
-- 

Sent from a tiny device...

-- 
Tyler Marghetis, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Cognitive & Information Sciences
University of California, Merced
www.tylermarghetis.com
tyler.marghetis at gmail.com | +1.619.252.7798
I use the pronouns: he, him, his
I have moderate face-blindness; if you see me out of context, I may not
recognize you
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