The Epistemology of the Very Small

Pitt, Joseph C.

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-0820-4_17

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Such confusion is also of great concern in NST because of the extensive use of images in representing nanoscale objects and phenomena (Landau et al, 2009). The common conception of nanoscience "making atoms visible" is alleged to be problematic (Pitt, 2004), since the microscopy used in nanoscale research is epistemologically not an outright continuation of instruments such as the telescope or light microscope. ISSN 1822-7864 (Print) ISSN 2538-7111 (Online) The results of the present research are discussed in the light of these issues pointed out in the literature on the nature of NST.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientists’ Perceptions on the Nature of Nanoscience and Its Public Communication

Laherto

Tirre

Parchmann

et al. 2018

PEC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Some level of understanding of and about nanoscience and nanotechnology (NST) has been suggested as being relevant in up-to-date scientific literacy for all. Research scientists working in these fields are central in current efforts to inform and engage the public in NST. Earlier research has shown that scientists can contribute to authentic science learning, but communication always entails roles that affect the choice of content. This study investigated NST researchers’ views on the nature of their research and their preferences in NST communication. Eight experienced professors working in various fields of NST were interviewed. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews focused on the scientists’ views on 1) the nature of their research, and 2) aspects of NST that should be communicated to the public. Qualitative content analysis of the interviews revealed that the themes the interviewees highlighted when describing their research (interdisciplinarity, size scale, methods, objects, nature of NST in general) were somewhat different from the ones they considered as important for communication to the public (applications and products, risks and benefits, visualizations). The results problematize the simplistic notion that exposure to real scientists would unquestionably enhance the authenticity of science learning. This study gives insight for research and development of science communication, especially scientists’ role and training in it. Keywords: authenticity, nanoscience, nature of science, science communication, scientist interviews.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientists’ Perceptions on the Nature of Nanoscience and Its Public Communication

Laherto

Tirre

Parchmann

et al. 2018

PEC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Or to put it another way, we have extended the meaning of the verb "to see" to accommodate our use of microscopes' ( [9]: 158). But this transformation is even deeper and more complex with STM than it was with an electronic microscope.…”

Section: Louis Gillet Trois Variations Sur Claude Monetmentioning

confidence: 98%

How to Accommodate to the Invisible? The ‘halo’ of ‘nano’

Bontems¹

2011

Nanoethics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nanotechnologies produce many different types of images but are characterized by the ones that allow us to 'see the atoms' despite the fact that objects at the nanoscale are smaller than the wavelength of light and hence are 'invisible'. Images from scanning probe microscopy (SPM), like 'The Beginning', have played an emblematic role in the constitution of the field and are also more likely to be used in communication outside the scientific field. These images are made, selected, modified and evaluated with respect to the information that they communicate. The 'life cycle' of these images implies the transduction of this information. Outside of the scientific field, however, they are no longer defined by this information, nor according to technical and scientific criteria, but by their aesthetic power, and they become associated with other images from other fields (art, advertisement, entertainment). This process creates a psycho-social 'halo' about 'nano' in the public perception, and raises ethical issues about nanotechnological communication via images. We will analyze the halo of the nano in this respect and propose a strategy for a reflexive 'accommodation' to the images at the nanoscale.

show abstract

“…nano as the conquest of inner space). Pitt [12] focuses on the very concept of 'seeing' and how this concept requires revision when STMs are claimed to allow us to 'see' atoms. Daston and Galison [3] focus on the haptic 'sight' of scanning probe microscopy where the production of the phenomenon to be recorded and the actual imaging in some cases can be seen as one and the same process.…”

Section: Existing Humanities Research On Nano Imagesmentioning

confidence: 99%