August 20 - 26 from 2pm to 5pm
(Except for Sunday, August 23: 3pm to 6pm)

Location: Hauptschule Alpbach
Language: English

Chairpersons:

Wolfgang KROHN, Professor emeritus of Sociology, Institute for Science and Technology Research, Faculty of Sociolgy, Bielefeld University

Rudolf STICHWEH, President; Professor of Sociological Theory and General Sociology, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanites and Social Sciences, University of Lucerne

Content:
Science is the social production of improbable and uncertain knowledge. Neither experts nor lay people can anticipate the results of research. They surprise, they upset commonsense certainties, and, on the other hand, they are still uncertain. They may have to be revised in a short time. Furthermore, in doing scientific research you are dependent on the competence of many other scientists and the reliability of their work. All these aspects are related to forms and processes of trust. Scientists have to trust one another, although organized scepticism is one of the core values of modern science. Likewise, the societal relevance of scientific knowledge is based on social trust in science. The seminar will explore the mechanisms and forms of trust internal to science and at the science/society interface. The main topics of the seminar are:

1) Trust as a general mechanism in social systems. Sociological and historical foundations of understanding trust.

2) Why do scientists believe in the validity of knowledge claims? Introduction to theories of social epistemology.

3) Competition, cooperation and coauthorship in present day science. Trust-formation in the social networks of science.

4) Trust, control and the intensified observation of scientific observers. The impact of peer review and evaluation.

5) How does society deal with its futures prognosticated by science?

6) Trust in science as trust towards progress. How does society adjust to the risks related to the promise of progress?