Jerome Ravetz
Encyclopedia
Jerome Ravetz (born 1929) is an environmental consultant and academic.
He has written on the philosophy of science
. He is best known for his books challenging the assumptions of scientific objectivity
, discussing the science wars
and post-normal science
. Ravetz is an Associate Fellow at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
.
, the United States was swept into a period of anti-communist McCarthyism
. Ravetz grew up in a left-wing family and although never a member of the American Communist Party he was what was then called a fellow traveler. He went to England on a Fulbright Scholarship, and had returned to complete his studies, marry, and take a job when in 1955 his U.S. passport was withdrawn. It was returned in 1958 after a ruling by the Supreme Court, and he has since visited the U.S.A. many times starting in 1962. He has visited at Harvard University, the Institute for Advanced Study
, the University of California, Santa Cruz, the University of Texas at Dallas
and Carnegie Mellon University
.
Ravetz received a BA from Swarthmore College
in 1950 and a PhD in mathematics
from Trinity College, Cambridge University
as a Fulbright Scholar in 1954. He joined the faculty of Leeds University in 1957 where he taught history and philosophy of science. In 1971, he published the influential book Scientific Knowledge and Its Social Problems.
Ravetz is best known for his books that raise issues of uncertainty and ethics in the social practice of science. His first book was an early attempt to shift the philosophy of science from epistemology to the social and ethical aspects of science. With Silvio Funtowicz he later created the NUSAP notational system for uncertain information, and also the theory of Post-normal science
.
From 1977 to 1978, he was a member of the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Group. He co-authored Uncertainty and Quality in Science for Policy with Silvio Funtowicz in 1991, and authored Cyberfutures: Culture and Politics on the Information Superhighway in 1996. His most recent book is A No-Nonsense Guide to Science.
Currently Ravetz is an independent scholar and self-employed consultant
, working mainly on problems of the management of uncertainty in risks
and environmental issues. Ravetz holds a position as Associate Fellow
at the Institute for Science, Innovation and Society http://www.insis.ox.ac.uk/ at the University of Oxford
. This institute was previously known as James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization.
He has written on the philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
. He is best known for his books challenging the assumptions of scientific objectivity
Objectivity (science)
Objectivity in science is a value that informs how science is practiced and how scientific truths are created. It is the idea that scientists, in attempting to uncover truths about the natural world, must aspire to eliminate personal biases, a priori commitments, emotional involvement, etc...
, discussing the science wars
Science wars
The science wars were a series of intellectual exchanges, between scientific realists and postmodernist critics, about the nature of scientific theory which took place principally in the US in the 1990s...
and post-normal science
Post-normal science
Post-Normal Science is a concept developed by Silvio Funtowicz and Jerome Ravetz, attempting to characterise a methodology of inquiry that is appropriate for cases where "facts are uncertain, values in dispute, stakes high and decisions urgent"...
. Ravetz is an Associate Fellow at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Biography
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the United States was swept into a period of anti-communist McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
. Ravetz grew up in a left-wing family and although never a member of the American Communist Party he was what was then called a fellow traveler. He went to England on a Fulbright Scholarship, and had returned to complete his studies, marry, and take a job when in 1955 his U.S. passport was withdrawn. It was returned in 1958 after a ruling by the Supreme Court, and he has since visited the U.S.A. many times starting in 1962. He has visited at Harvard University, the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
, the University of California, Santa Cruz, the University of Texas at Dallas
University of Texas at Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas, also referred to as UT Dallas or UTD, is a public research university in the University of Texas System. The main campus is in the heart of the Richardson, Texas, Telecom Corridor, north of downtown Dallas...
and Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
.
Ravetz received a BA from Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
in 1950 and a PhD in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from Trinity College, Cambridge University
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
as a Fulbright Scholar in 1954. He joined the faculty of Leeds University in 1957 where he taught history and philosophy of science. In 1971, he published the influential book Scientific Knowledge and Its Social Problems.
Ravetz is best known for his books that raise issues of uncertainty and ethics in the social practice of science. His first book was an early attempt to shift the philosophy of science from epistemology to the social and ethical aspects of science. With Silvio Funtowicz he later created the NUSAP notational system for uncertain information, and also the theory of Post-normal science
Post-normal science
Post-Normal Science is a concept developed by Silvio Funtowicz and Jerome Ravetz, attempting to characterise a methodology of inquiry that is appropriate for cases where "facts are uncertain, values in dispute, stakes high and decisions urgent"...
.
From 1977 to 1978, he was a member of the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Group. He co-authored Uncertainty and Quality in Science for Policy with Silvio Funtowicz in 1991, and authored Cyberfutures: Culture and Politics on the Information Superhighway in 1996. His most recent book is A No-Nonsense Guide to Science.
Currently Ravetz is an independent scholar and self-employed consultant
Consultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
, working mainly on problems of the management of uncertainty in risks
Risk management
Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities...
and environmental issues. Ravetz holds a position as Associate Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
at the Institute for Science, Innovation and Society http://www.insis.ox.ac.uk/ at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. This institute was previously known as James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization.