Controversies foundations

Question 1

how to explore controversies with actor network theory - researcher

Answer 1

Venturini, 2010

Question 2

What is the cartography of controversies?

Answer 2

It is a set of techniques to explore and visualize issues, developed by Bruno Latour as a didactic (Teaching friendly) version of Actor-Network Theory (ANT).

Question 3

What is the first meaning of “just” in controversies mapping?

Answer 3

“Just observe” – Encourages researchers to use any tools or techniques available and to mix them freely, avoiding strict philosophies or procedures.

Question 4

What is the second meaning of “just”?

Answer 4

Objectivity requires multiple points of observation because observation is never free from bias

Question 5

What is the third meaning of “just”?

Answer 5

Researchers must listen to actors more than their own assumptions, recognizing actors’ immersion in their contexts.

Question 6

what is a controversy?

Answer 6

any area of science or technology that is not yet stabilised closed or ‘black-boxed’ representing shared uncertainty

Question 7

Who can be actors in controversies?
Actors include not only humans and groups but also natural/biological elements, industrial products, artistic works, and institutions.

Answer 7

Actors include not only humans and groups but also natural/biological elements, industrial products, artistic works, and institutions.

Question 8

why are controversies described as reduction resistant?

Answer 8

Actors often disagree on questions, not just answers, making them inherently complex and resistant to simplification.

Question 9

what do controversies reveal about the social world?

Answer 9

Controversies show the social world in its most dynamic form, with surprising alliances and sudden fractures.

Question 10

How do controversies relate to power dynamics?

Answer 10

involve struggles to conserve or reverse social inequalities often decided by power dynamics force or violence

Question 11

What kinds of controversies should researchers avoid?

Answer 11

Researchers should avoid:

1- Cold controversies
2- Past controversies
3- Boundless controversies
4- Underground controversies

Question 12

what type of controversies should be favoured?

Answer 12

Those concerning scientific or technical issues.

Question 13

What makes controversies mapping valuable?

Answer 13

captures the dynamic and complex nature of the social world by examining disagreements, alliances and power struggles without imposing rigid methodologies

Question 14

Why is the concept of “black-boxing” important in controversies?

Answer 14

Black-boxing refers to stabilisation of ideas or technologies
controversies exist in areas not yet stabilised allow for deeper observations of processes

Question 15

Venturini uses magma metaphor to explain controversies explain?

Answer 15

describe the fluid, dynamic, and transformative nature of social controversies
Magma is a substance that can shift between solid and liquid states.
Similarly, the social world, as seen in controversies, is both stable (solid) and dynamic (liquid) at the same time.

Controversies are the points where the “magma” of collective life is most visible, showing how society is constantly being constructed, deconstructed, and reconstructed.

Question 16

what are Donald Rumsfelds three catagories of knowledge?

Answer 16

1- known knowns - things we know that we know
2- known unknowns - things we know that we don’t know
3- unknown unknowns - things we dont know that we don’t know

Question 17

How does partisan science approach scientific uncertainty or disputes?

Answer 17

focusses on the organisational affiliations and language commitments of contributors

Evaluates different “positions” on an issue rather than interrogating the substantive differences between knowledge claims.

Question 18

What does partisan science equip citizens to do?

Answer 18

It helps citizens form a strong, sociological view based on networking rather than epistemological knowledge, but risks mapping conspiracies instead of controversies.

Question 19

How are publics produced in environmental knowledge controversies?

Answer 19

Publics are created as much as knowledge itself in the process of environmental knowledge controversies.

Question 20

what are publics?

Answer 20

a community of people

Question 21

What is the first shared feature between Geography and STS in controversies?

Answer 21

Both emphasize that knowledge is shaped by interactions between humans and the more-than-human world, challenging human-centered epistemologies and recognizing non-human agents’ roles.

Question 22

What is the second shared feature between Geography and STS in controversies?

Answer 22

Controversies are social processes that shape how knowledge is distributed, how certain claims gain legitimacy, and how new technologies are integrated into scientific and public discourse.

Question 23

What is the third shared feature between Geography and STS in controversies?

Answer 23

Both advocate for inclusive expertise, involving voices from social scientists, local communities, and marginalized groups in environmental decision-making processes.

Question 24

paper on putting science in its place -author and date

Answer 24

Livingstone (2003)

Question 25

why is thinking geographically about science important?

Answer 25

1) scientific theory doesn’t spread evenly from its point of origin

2) as it moves it is modified demonstrating that scientific theories are mobile and vary across place

Question 26

How does spatial context affect the meaning of scientific theories?

Answer 26

Meaning takes shape in response to spatial forces at every scale of analysis, making it unstable and context-dependent.

Question 27

How does the natural place of research effect scientific knowledge?

Answer 27

• It results in different scientific knowledge being generated.(different biases)
• Place both enables and constrains discourse.

Question 28

Why is place essential to knowledge production?

Answer 28

1) It shapes ideas, constructs political supremacy, and influences consciousness.

2) Place also matters in how knowledge is consumed and appropriated.

Question 29

How does Livingstone (2003) challenge traditional views of science?

Answer 29

1) science is not a pre ordained entity but a human enterprise situated in time and space

2) western practices are not the only valid forms of science

Question 30

what does cultivating a geography of science reveal?

Answer 30

it shows how scientific knowledge bears the imprint of its location