The Science Wars

The Science Wars was a debate in the 1990s between scientists and philosophers/historians of science. Scientists argued that scientific knowledge is objective and based on empirical evidence. Thinkers like some philosophers claimed that scientific facts are socially influenced and interpretive, emphasizing that science is shaped by cultural and social contexts. The controversy highlighted differing views on how to understand scientific truth—either as an objective pursuit of facts or as a socially constructed process. It sparked discussions about the nature of scientific knowledge and the roles of science and society, encouraging more reflection on how science operates and its relationship with culture.