Why is science so credible? Usual answers center on scientists' objective methods or their powerful instruments. In his new book, Thomas Gieryn argues that a better explanation for the cultural authority of science lies downstream, when scientific claims leave laboratories and enter courtrooms, boardrooms, and living rooms. On such occasions, we use "maps" to decide who to believe cultural maps demarcating "science" from pseudoscience, ideology, faith, or nonsense.
Gieryn looks at episodes of boundary-work: Was phrenology good science? How about cold fusion? Is social science really...

Why is science so credible? Usual answers center on scientists' objective methods or their powerful instruments. In his new book, Thomas Gieryn argues that a better explanation for the cultural authority of science lies downstream, when scientific claims leave laboratories and enter courtrooms, boardrooms, and living rooms. On such occasions, we use "maps" to decide who to believe cultural maps demarcating "science" from pseudoscience, ideology, faith, or nonsense.
Gieryn looks at episodes of boundary-work: Was phrenology good science? How about cold fusion? Is social science really...