SOC 100 1st Edition Lecture 25 Outline of Last Lecture II. ReligionIII. TheoriesIV. Selling GodOutline of Current Lecture V. Science and SocietyVI. Agriculture and EnvironmentVII. BiotechVIII. BiodiversityCurrent LectureScience, the environment, and technologyScience and society- Sociologists of science look at the interactions b/t science and society- Normative science= is the idea that science follows objective rules of evidence and is unaffected by the personal beliefs or values of scientists.- In practice, however, social factors like funding, government policies, interest groups, and international pressure or competition can affect choices about what scientific research is pursued.- A paradigm is the framework within which scientists operate. There are particular paradigms for particular branches of scientific research- Thomas Kuhn theorized that scientific revolutions, also called paradigm shifts, occur when enough anomalies occur during the practice of normal science to challenge the existing paradigm- Boundary work= refers to the research conducted on the border b/t legitimate and non-legitimate science, either within a specific scientific discipline or between disciplines.- Anthropologist Bruna Latour and Steve Woolgar claim that scientific facts don’t just reveal themselves through experiments and research but are socially contrastedo Matthew effect= coined by Robert Merton, refers to the notion that certain scientific results get more notice and have more influence based on the existing prestige of the researchers involved.These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Agriculture and the environment- Majority of scientists agree hat the roots of global warming can be linked to human activity; such as deforestation and burning of coal- Global warming is predicted to have a strong impact on human society, through natural disasters such as heat waves, more and bigger hurricanes, and debilitating droughts. - The term organic is often used as a catchall for foods that are seemingly healthy, natural or produced on a small scale.o There are specific guidelines that have to be followed in order for food products to be labeled organic or made with organic ingredients. o Organic food market creates stratification in two ways: Organic farming is expensive. Many smaller farmers cannot afford to farmthis way, so mega farms dominate the market and use their influence to change policies and guidelines to their advantage Organic products are expensive, so high income individuals are much more likely to purchase them and reap their benefits than low income people- Genetically modified foods, also referred to as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), are products whose genetic structures have been altered usually to make them produce higher yields. o Proponents argue that GMOs help bring down food prices, reduce dependence on pesticides and provide vitaminso Critics argue that they create risks to humans that have not been adequately evaluated- GloFish, are the first genetically modified organisms to be sold as pets- Green revolution= refers to two agricultural trends in the twentieth century: the introduction of high yield crops and improved agricultural technologyo Widely credited with increasing agricultural productivity Increasing incomes Increase the value of formal schoolingo Critics, argue that it increases our risks when crops fail Reduce variety in the diet Depletes the soil of nutrients Increase pressure on water resources.Biotech and the human genome- The goal of the Human Genome Project was to identify and map all of the genes in human DNA- Researchers involved in the project recognized that it raised many social, ethical, and legal issues, like privacy, stratification, and stigmatization- DNA testing is now marketed for a variety of purposes, one of which is to determine a person’s racial originso However still questions about accuracyo DNA testing is not simply a straightforward scientific process but one that is closely intertwined with social factors- Reproductive cloning involves making a genetic copy of an existing person or organism- Research cloning involves making a genetic copy of cells that can be used for research purposes. Human cloning does have potential benefits, but it is fraught with legal, ethical, and moral questionsNormal accidents- Normal accidents= are those that occur inevitably through unpredictably due to the verycomplexity of modern technologies- A risk society= is one in which technology distributes danger among all categories of the populationo In a risk society, danger does not results from technological accidents aloneo In addition, increased risk is due to mounting environmental threats- Technopoly, is a form of social organization in which technology compels people to try tosolve all problems using technical rather than moral criteria, even though technology is often the source of the problems. - Technological determination= is the belief that technology is the main factor shaping human society and historyMajor forms of environmental degradation- Global warming- Industrial pollution- Destruction of biodiversity- Genetic pollutionEnvironmental degradation- Acid rain= is precipitation whose acidity destroys forest and the ecosystems of lakeso Is formed by sulfur dioxide and other gasses emitted by coal burning power plants, pulp and paper mills, and motor vehicle exhausts- The ozone layer lies 5 to 25 miles above the earth’s surface. It is depleted by CFCso The depletion of the ozone layer allows more ultraviolet light to enter the Earth’s atmosphere. This increases the rate of skin cancer and crop damageBiodiversity- Refers to the enormous variety of plant and animal species on the