Science and Narrative: Practical or Problematic?

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session I
  In Interactive Paper Session: Political Communication Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Researchers have been concerned that the scientific community is not as influential as it could be in science policy discourse. It has been proposed that narrative, the use of story telling to communicate information, is a viable communication strategy. This paper examines the proposed use of narrative within science communication by discussing narrative rationality advocated by Walt Fisher, Fisher’s belief that narrative is a necessary form of discourse within science, and whether narrative rationality allows science to reason paraxial knowledge. This paper carefully evaluates the Aristotelian concept of phronesis to reveal that narrative does not facilitate practical wisdom and cannot contribute to science communication's goal of becoming more influential in science policy discourse, nor is it adequately constructed to facilitate a credible and meaningful answer to the issue of whether.

Author

• Aaron Zamora, California State U - Fullerton