ABSTRACT
Following this flurry of research, the postmodern approach was adopted for a critical examination of the key elements in the public understanding of science: the notions of public understanding and science (see, e.g., Wynne, 1995). This approach, variously called the constructivist approach and the “interactive science” perspective, has called attention to the uncertainty of scientific knowledge, the inseparability of science from its social and institutional contexts, the lack of demarcation between scientific knowledge and other kinds of knowledge that are needed by decision-makers who are not scientific experts, and the functionality and defensibility of public “ignorance.” The contrasting images of the public evoked by these two perspectives point to the need to elaborate on the understanding of publics in order to further this discussion of science and the public. I also address the seemingly intractable gap between these two models of the public.
