S4 Ep 7 - Naomi Oreskes on 'Writing on Ignorance'

The HPS Podcast - Conversations from History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science

"In response to that article, I was getting hate mail. I was getting attacked. I thought, these people have a script. This is a story that people need to understand. This isn't just something of academic interest. This is something that has real political and cultural consequences."
Today's very special guest is acclaimed historian of science, Professor Naomi Oreskes, author of Merchants of Doubt, Science on a Mission and her most recent book with long time collaborator Erik Conway – The Big Myth – all about understanding the rise of free-market fundamentalism.

Naomi discusses what lead her shift from exploration geologist to historian and philosopher of science, as well as her somewhat accidental pathway into public discussions on pressing concerns such as climate change, trust in science, and the escalation of misinformation in the public realm.

Naomi also introduces us to the fascinating field of agnotology – the study of socially constructed ignorance. While Naomi has often written about ignorance or doubt that was deliberately cultivated by bad faith actors, she also emphasises the importance of studying ‘inadvertent ignorance.’ This is when the attention of researchers becomes focussed on certain sets of issues and not others, not due to malevolent aims, but rather due to background assumptions, commitments and even funding sources. Of course, our attention can’t be directed everywhere at once, but it is the inevitability and pervasiveness of such ‘directive forces’ that makes studying them so important.
Transcript coming soon.
Relevant links:

• Naomi Oreskes | Department of the History of Science, Harvard University
• 'Merchants of Doubt' | Naomi Oreskes | ABC listen
• 'Why we should trust scientists' | Naomi Oreskes | TED YouTube
• ‘Science on a Mission’ | Naomi Oreskes | Science News
• Excerpt from ‘The Big Myth’ | Oreskes & Conway | Harvard Gazette
• Fifteen Questions: Naomi Oreskes on Climate Change Denial, Apolitical Scientists, and Her Favorite Rocks | Magazine | The Harvard Crimson

Thanks for listening to The HPS Podcast with current producers, Samara Greenwood and Carmelina Contarino. You can find more about us on our blog, website, bluesky, twitter, instagram and facebook feeds. Music by ComaStudio.
This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne.
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