open access

https://doi.org/10.14943/43274

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/42668

The Advancement of Neuroscience Literacy through Liberal Arts Education : Neuroscience as a Post-Normal Science and Its Education

日本語

governance of science

2010-02

北海道大学科学技術コミュニケーター養成ユニット（CoSTEP）

Japanese Journal of Science Communication

7

105-118

Recently, some scientific disciplines have been politically promoted in many countries, because governments believe that they can produce economically profitable knowledge, and that neuroscience belongs to these disciplines. They are aptly characterized by Jerome Ravetz's notion of "post-normal science." It is expected that some knowledge produced by neuroscience may, when applied to the real world, influence social systems and, ultimately, our views on what it is to be human beings, even though it is difficult for us to foresee its concrete impacts. To minimize its unexpected negative effects, even non-specialists need to have neuroscience literacy, which includes not only a basic theoretical knowledge of neuroscience, but also knowledge on its social significance and possible impacts on our self-understanding as human beings. We compiled a textbook of neuroscience literacy, and used it in liberal arts education. In this article, we document our project of education on neuroscience literacy in liberal arts, and discuss its social and epistemological meaning.

紀要論文

Version of Record

1881-8390