ABSTRACT
Conflict between ways of knowing began when Inuit and European explorers first met. The conflict is sometimes subtle and quietly as well as savagely devastating to Inuit, who nevertheless endure. The conflict continues in the form of negotiations for land, sea, and resources; for political power; for housing and health care; for culture. The difference between Inuit and Western knowledge underlies conflict in all realms. The conflict is detrimental to both cultures. From the standpoint of philosophical realism, both science and Inuit knowledge contribute to understanding the Arctic. Such an approach requires that one accept the natural world as real and amenable to explanation. It holds that the objects of nature exist in and of themselves, were here before science, and will remain regardless of the kind of inquiry directed toward them.
