Knowledge and the Scientific Imagination: Does Experience Always Become Memory?

• In Event: How Do They Understand the Science? Communicating Science, Risks, and Disasters 1

Abstract

Research in the social studies of science tells us that facts are always imbued by values: people never accept knowledge as fact, but experience it in their contexts. How might this be reflected in perceptions of flooding and storm surge risks in a country like the Philippines, which is surrounded by water? How is science understood as both discipline and source of information? We use focus group discussions and interviews with communities to examine how they understand the concepts of flooding and storm surge risks, and how their worldviews matched those who worked in government. We found that knowledge, memory, imagination, and action appear to be four distinct concepts. While people know how strong a storm is or how deep floods can become, they do not necessarily see the knowledge as something to be acted upon. Memory of a typhoon's strength, in some cases, even impeded action: if people had survived previous storms, they could not imagine not being able to survive worse ones. Imagination, it appears, is tied to the ability to see before and beyond, and to therefore anticipate danger based on trends. This shows us that the perception of risk is not only value-laden but pulled in different directions by experience. This also shows us the nature of the scientific imagination: the ability to forecast trends might not apply across communities or beyond the bounds of science. Exploring people's scientific imagination has implications for how science (especially climate science) is communicated, especially in climate change vulnerable countries.

Author

• Maria Inez Angela Zamora Ponce de Leon, Ateneo de Manila University