The Culture of Science How the Public Relates to Science Across the Globe [Paperback]

This book offers the first comparative account of the changes and stabilities of public perceptions of science within the US, France, China, Japan, and across Europe over the past few decades. The contributors address the influence of cultural factors; the question of science and religion and its influence on particular developments (e.g. stem cell research); and the demarcation of science from non-science as well as issues including the incommensurability versus cognitive polyphasia and the cognitive (in)tolerance of different systems of knowledge.

1. Towards Cultural Indicators of Science with Global Validity  Martin W. Bauer, Rajesh Shukla and Nick Allum  2. The Culture of Science and the Politics of Numbers  Beno?t Godin  Section 1: Longitudinal Analysis  3. Attitudes Toward Science in France: 1972-2005  Daniel Boy  4. American Public Understanding of Science: 1979-2006  Susan Carol Losh  5. The Image of Science in Bulgaria and UK, 1992-2005: Does Generation Matter?  Kristina Petkova and Valery Todorov  6. The Changing Culture of Science Across Old Europe: 1989 to 2005  Martin W. Bauer  7. Knowledge of Science and Technology in Japan: IRT Scores for 1991 and 2001  Kinya Shimizu and Takuya Matsuura  8. Adult Scientific Literacy and Its Surveys in China Since 1992  Ke Wang, Fujun Ren, Wei He and Chao Zhang  Section 2: Cross-National Comparisons  9. Comparing the Public Understanding of Science Across China and Europe  Xuan Liu, Shukun Tang and Martin W. Bauer  10. Information and Attitudes towards Science and Technology in Iberoamerica  Carmelo Polino and Yurij ClcF