Quinn, Aleta (Author)
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
Volume: 85
Pages: 208-217
Publication date: 2021
Language: English
In this paper I will outline a worry that citizen science can promote a kind of transparency that is harmful. I argue for the value of secrecy in citizen science. My argument will consist of analysis of a particular community (herpers), a particular citizen science platform (iNaturalist, drawing contrasts with other platforms), and my own travels in citizen science. I aim to avoid a simple distinction between science versus non-science, and instead analyze herping as a rich practice [MacIntyre, 2007]. Herping exemplifies citizen science as functioning simultaneously within and outside the sphere of science. I show that herpers have developed communal systems of transmitting and protecting knowledge. Ethical concerns about secrecy are inherently linked to these systems of knowledge. My over-arching aim is to urge caution in the drive to transparency, as the concepts of transparency and secrecy merit close scrutiny. The concerns I raise are complementary to those suggested by previous philosophical work, and (I argue) resist straightforward solutions.
...MoreSimilar Citations
Article
Lidia Falomo Bernarduzzi;
Ester Maria Bernardi;
Alberto Ferrari;
Maria Carla Garbarino;
Andrea Vai;
(2021)
Augmented Reality Application for Handheld Devices
Book
Lik Sam Chan;
(2021)
The Politics of Dating Apps: Gender, Sexuality, and Emergent Publics in Urban China
Article
Vickie Curtis;
(December 2015)
Motivation to Participate in an Online Citizen Science Game: A Study of Foldit
Article
Phil Brown;
(2021)
From the Radical Psychology Movement to STS: A Journey From the 1960s in Multiple Parts
Article
Jan-Peter Voß;
Nina Amelung;
(October 2016)
Innovating public participation methods: Technoscientization and reflexive engagement
Article
Victoria Martin;
Liam Smith;
Alison Bowling;
Les Christidis;
David Lloyd;
Gretta Pecl;
(August 2016)
Citizens as Scientists: What Influences Public Contributions to Marine Research?
Article
Denisa Kera;
(2017)
Science Artisans and Open Science Hardware
Article
Fan, Fa-ti;
Chen, Shun-Ling;
Kao, Chia-Liang;
Murphy, Michelle;
Price, Matt;
Barry, Liz;
(June 2019)
Citizens, Politics, and Civic Technology: A Conversation with g0v and EDGI
Book
Cooper, Caren B.;
(2016)
Citizen science: how ordinary people are changing the face of discovery
Book
Busch, Akiko;
(2013)
The incidental steward: reflections on citizen science
Book
Clare Birchall;
(2021)
Radical secrecy: the ends of transparency in datafied America
Book
Eric Topol;
(2015)
The Patient Will See You Now: The Future of Medicine is in Your Hands
Article
Jérôme Baudry;
Élise Tancoigne;
Bruno J Strasser;
(June 2022)
Turning crowds into communities: The collectives of online citizen science
Book
Karen Bakker;
(2024)
Gaia's Web: How Digital Environmentalism Can Combat Climate Change, Restore Biodiversity, Cultivate Empathy, and Regenerate the Earth
Book
Meg Leta Jones;
(2024)
The Character of Consent: The History of Cookies and the Future of Technology Policy
Book
Tonia Sutherland;
(2023)
Resurrecting the Black Body: Race and the Digital Afterlife
Book
Karen Levy;
(2022)
Data Driven: Truckers, Technology, and the New Workplace Surveillance
Book
Nicolas Friederici;
Michel Wahome;
Mark Graham;
(2020)
Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: How a Continent Is Escaping Silicon Valley's Long Shadow
Book
Jim Ridolfo;
William Hart-Davidson;
(2019)
Rhet Ops: Rhetoric and Information Warfare
Book
Ana-Maria Herman;
(2023)
Reconfiguring the Museum: The Politics of Digital Display
Be the first to comment!