We are in a peculiar time with respect to the role of values inrnscience. On the one hand, the scientific community hasrnbecome highly engaged in defending its values and opposing those who promote the idea that science has nornparticular claim to truth (remember the March for Science).Onrnthe other hand, some scientists continue to promote the idearnthat science must be values free, and anything but the purestrnscience is likely to be biased. Extreme positions have beenrnexpressed by speakers at recent Society of EnvironmentalrnToxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) meetings. One suggestedrnthat we are all biased, so we should not condemn the biasedrnscience produced by some industry scientists in defense ofrntheir products. Another speaker denounced those scientistsrnwho address normative issues such as risks to human healthrnand the environment. In this potentially divisive atmosphere,rnwe need some clear thinking on the role of values in science.
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