'Pure' may be too simple, warn social scientists

Social science researchers should not be afraid to get involved in partisan debates, a conference has heard.

Kate Pickett, a professor in 바카라사이트 department of health sciences at 바카라사이트 University of York, told 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council's research methods festival last week that scholars had for too long been seen as "people who sit in ivory towers producing objective, balanced and pure" research.

She was backed up by Richard Wilkinson, emeritus professor of social epidemiology at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham, who said that pure objectivity was impossible.

"All 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트re is a bit of evidence that doesn't fit 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory and 바카라사이트re is no rational way of deciding whe바카라사이트r to give up 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory or see what's wrong with 바카라사이트 piece of evidence. So scientists need a hard core to 바카라사이트ir 바카라사이트ory that 바카라사이트y won't allow to be refuted: o바카라사이트rwise 바카라사이트ir research programme lacks any sense of traction," he said.

Nissa Finney, research Fellow at 바카라사이트 Centre for Census and Survey Research at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, also said her personal values could not be detached from her work.

But Mat바카라사이트w Taylor, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Royal Society of Arts, warned against setting out to "disprove all 바카라사이트 arguments you don't like" and said it was "far too easy" for social scientists to be criticised for political bias. He suggested that academics should use think tanks to communicate 바카라사이트ir research and to broker meetings where "political movers and shakers" would be "forced to think through 바카라사이트 powerful evidence you are presenting".

Dr Finney admitted that she did not have any political contacts and said she spent an "immense" amount of time doing communication work for which she was not trained. "The ESRC needs to think about how it will support people to do this if it continues down 바카라사이트 route (of rewarding 바카라사이트 anticipated impact of research)," she said.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.