The Triumph of Uncertainty: Science and Self in the Postmodern Age

Tauber's book explores how science has evolved from seeking explanatory certainty to embracing probabilistic epistemologies due to the complexity of modern systems. He argues that individual scientists' interpretive faculties and non-epistemic values shape knowledge production, highlighting the correspondence between contemporary immunology and cultural notions of selfhood.

Format: Hardback
Length: 404 pages
Publication date: 10 October 2022
Publisher: Central European University Press

Tauber, a prominent figure in the history and philosophy of science, provides a distinctive autobiographical account of how philosophers and historians have characterized science as a discipline of thought over the past century. He structures his narrative by weaving together the threads of science itself and his own personal quest for explanatory certainty.

In the 20th century, the pursuit of explanatory certainty gave way to probabilistic epistemologies, which were necessary to describe complex systems in fields such as physics, biology, economics, and the social sciences. This shift marked a "triumph of uncertainty," as the inevitable result of irreducible chance and indeterminate causality. However, it is important to note that beyond these epistemological boundaries, the interpretive faculties of individual scientists, often referred to as the "personal" and "tacit," play a significant role in shaping how data are understood.

While positivism once claimed radical objectivity, post-positivists have recognized the profound influence of non-epistemic values and social forces on the production of knowledge. Tauber illustrates these claims through a case study of immunology, highlighting how it has incorporated extra-curricular social elements into its theoretical development and, in turn, influenced interpretive problems related to biological identity, individuality, and cognition. The correspondence between contemporary immunology and cultural notions of selfhood is striking and profound. Just as uncertainty permeates science, it also looms over current constructions of personal identity, self-knowledge, and moral agency.

Across this chasm of uncertainty, science and selfhood engage in a dialogue. Tauber's work sheds light on the ways in which science and personal identity intersect, raising important questions about the nature of knowledge, truth, and the role of the individual in the scientific process. It encourages us to reevaluate our understanding of science and its relationship to our broader cultural and philosophical frameworks.

Weight: 712g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789633865965