The overall aim of this project is to research the relationships between science and policy during the 20th century as an aspect of the more general philosophical debate of the influence of the external factors on science. This aim will be approached historically.
The basic objective is to research to what extent the scientific standards and criteria governing the practice of science are affected by political and ideological government intervention on science causing distorted science. Specifically, whether this phenomenon occurs in totalitarian regimes - in which science and technology would be subordinated to political interests and to the interference of the governments and their ideology- or it also takes place in the liberal and democratic systems -which supposedly would ensure an independent science despite of the science policies; therefore, whether or not totalitarian regimes produce only bad science and democratic regimes produce only good science -according to the international scientific standards.
Researching this question involves both theoretical analysis and the examination of science and technology of dictatorships and democracies. Therefore, this project focuses on the analysis of Spanish science and technology during the Second Republic and the first Francoism.
Finally, these questions will be framed within three philosophical general debates, in our view related: a) the general debate about the incidence of the external factors on the scientific development, b) the debate about the dichotomy between good and bad science, and its relationship with the previous question, c) the recent discussion about whether science aims should be adjusted to policy ends as public good. This discussion has shown the necessity to democratize the science and to maintain normative notions involving standards about what would be good science and bad science.
Investigadora principal: Amparo Gómez Rodríguez
Investigadores participantes: 11
