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Kruit, P.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-10876-6_12

Cited by 1 publication

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“…Dutch astronomers were highly dependent on observations made elsewhere. At the end of the nineteenth century, J. C. Kapteyn created an “astronomical laboratory,” an astronomical research institute without its own telescope, an international novelty (van der Kruit 2015). The development of radio telescopes after the Second World War changed this situation.…”

Section: The Dutch Astronomical Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Let’s Not Talk About Science: The Normalization of Big Science and the Moral Economy of Modern Astronomy

Baneke

2019

Science, Technology, & Human Values

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In the 1990s, the Dutch astronomical community had to choose its next big telescope project. The starting point of their discussions was not a plan in search of support, but a scientific community in search of a plan. Their discussion demonstrates how big science projects are an integral part of the moral and institutional economy of modern astronomy. Large telescopes are unique but not exceptional: big science has become part of “normal science,” both scientifically and institutionally. In retrospect, the discussions anaylized in this paper discussions concern the earliest phase of three major astronomical instruments: the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), and the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR). Interestingly, the Dutch astronomers focused on what they called “strategic” arguments, explicitly excluding arguments regarding scientific merit. I demonstrate how this should be understood in the context of the moral economy of the community. This analysis, based on rich archive material and background interviews with key actors, adds to our understanding of big science or “megascience” in the post–Cold War era.

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Section: The Dutch Astronomical Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Let’s Not Talk About Science: The Normalization of Big Science and the Moral Economy of Modern Astronomy

Baneke

2019

Science, Technology, & Human Values

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Students

Cited by 1 publication

References 3 publications

Let’s Not Talk About Science: The Normalization of Big Science and the Moral Economy of Modern Astronomy

Let’s Not Talk About Science: The Normalization of Big Science and the Moral Economy of Modern Astronomy

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