Mess in Science and Wicked Problems

Bibliographic Data

ID7102480
AuthorsJutta Schickore (0000-0003-0275-4175, Indiana University, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume28
Issue4
Pages482-504
Publication date2020-07-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePerspectives on Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1063-6145 • E-ISSN: 1530-9274
PublisherThe MIT Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1162/posc_a_00348
OpenAlexW3046167874
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited38

This paper discusses the claim that science is “messy.” Part I argues first, that a good portion of today’s discussions about messy science is just a portrayal of familiar features of science in new terms. In the paper, I refer to this as “messy science talk.” Second, Part I draws out rhetorical functions of messy science talk, namely the denigration of science in the popular media and the celebration of the maverick. Part II identifies one way in which it is enlightening to think about mess in current science, namely in reference to the problems that scientists need to address. It also shows that we do not need an entirely new conceptual inventory to analyze these problems. “Mess” and “wicked problems” were a theme in operations research and theories of social planning in the 1970s. These older analyses can illuminate important characteristics of today’s scientific problems. Wicked problems cut across different disciplines, engage different stakeholders (including non-scientists), are fluid, and cannot even be clearly formulated. They are urgent and need to be addressed before sufficient evidence is in

Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Popular science · Rhetorical question · Science education · Sociology · Theme (computing · Computer Science · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Engineering · Management and Organizational Studies · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science