ABSTRACT
Part of the outcom e of ecological m odernisation have been the growth in influ ence and positioning of the judgem ent of scientific experts. As noted in Chapter 1, expert judgem ent is often m ore subjective and value-laden than citizens have realised or scientists themselves have admitted. Science and scientific analysis have been presented as rational and therefore logical and reasonable, even though within the scientific community many different and conflicting views and beliefs are held. For example, empiricists argue that it is irrational to retain views which contradict experimental evidence, while theoreticians regard it as irrational to change views at every flicker of evidence. Ultimately, and despite these conflicts, science has been built upon the idea that there is a single right way of doing things and that the world should be made to accept this.
