Wielokulturowość a nauka

Abstract

Multiculturalism and Science

The plurality of cultural perspectives is currently an important topic in the media, politics, the social and political sciences, philosophy, ethics, and even aesthetics. It is not, however, commonly associated with science and epistemology. That being said, many discussions about relations between culture(s) and science(s) have taken place in various fields of sociology of knowledge and science studies. In this paper, I refer to these discussions and present two possible understandings of the relation between multiculturalism and science: multiculturalism in science and multiculturalism of science. Multiculturalism in science denotes cultural plurality amongst researchers, while the more controversial idea of multiculturalism of science refers to multiculturalism as a necessary condition for epistemic and scientific progress. Following the presentation of these concepts, I discuss objectivistic objections against incorporating cultural elements into discussions about the merits of science. On the other hand, I also point out some dubious and dangerous antiscientific claims of radical relativists. Finally, drawing on pragmatic premises, I present a methodological argument for the multiculturalism of science.