CONSTRUCTING AND RECONSTRUCTING SCIENTIFIC IGNORANCE - IGNORANCE CLAIMS IN SCIENCE AND JOURNALISM

In Ignorance and Uncertainty: Emerging Paradigms, Australian sociologi st Michael Smithson observes that Western intellectuals, who once preo ccupied themselves with knowledge, are increasingly pondering ignoranc e. Those who are not, he adds, should consider doing so. It is an arre sting suggestion, not unlike the one art instructors often make to stu dents of drawing: do not look at the figure; look at the space around the figure. Once attention is focused on ignorance rather than on know ledge, one begins to see that ignorance is not the simple absence of k nowledge. Instead, like the space around objects, ignorance has its ow n configurations. It varies in amount, form and substance, depending o n the perspective. And just as artists make use of the representationa l power of space, scientists and nonscientists alike often manipulate ignorance, maximizing or minimizing it in ways that affect the credibi lity of what we know. In developing this argument, the article draws o n the insights of historians, philosophers, mass communications and le gal scholars, discourse analysts, and sociologists of science to exami ne scientists use of ignorance claims in the construction of science a nd in science for public policy. It also looks at how nonscientists so metimes appropriate and attempt to manipulate such claims, often throu gh the news media Such uses, the article argues, reflect and serve cla imants' interests. The news media, in tum, appropriate and emphasize t hose ignorance claims that advance and protect their own particular co ncerns.