AAA Annual Meeting San Francisco Nov 17-21, 2004
Cultural Politics and Truth-Claims

The science philosopher Paul Feyerabend writes: ‘…science is much closer to myth than a scientific philosophy is prepared to admit’. This panel explores the relations and tensions in medicine and science (understood in its broadest sense) by examining the currency of ‘truth-claims’ and their deployment in everyday thought and practice. Our experience in the contexts of human cloning/xenotransplantation and organ/tissue procurement shows that scientists and other professionals use a language of ‘truth-claims’ in two different contexts: one in peer relations and one in the public arena (e.g. with patients, clients as well as interactions with the ‘public’). In all cases, but not in the same fashion, they may aim truth-claims and the values they carry to assert professional credibility; to foster client/public confidence, trust and consensus; to promote ‘market’ trustworthiness; in essence to assert an ideological stance. In making such claims, scientists and other professionals recur to a multiplicity of sources (within and without science) showing in appearance more adaptability than it is often assumed. We believe this comes with some serious implications for the reification of certain scientific ideologies. In this light we ask three critical questions: a) What truth-claims tell us about the expanding culture of bio-medicine and science in general in different places around the world? b) What do they tell us about the cultural context and values in which they are produced? c) More broadly, what are the ethical implications of deploying truth-claims in everyday scientific thought and practice? We wellcome contributions from a variety of subjects and research locations from anthropologists and social scientists who have experience with clinical and otherwise scientific contexts. For full consideration, please send abstract of maximum 250 words by March 30th.