Value-Laden Science: Jan Burgers and Scientific Politics in the Netherlands

G.J. Somsen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The political engagement of scientists is not necessarily left-wing, and even when it is, it can take widely varying forms. This is illustrated by the specific character of Dutch scientific activism in the 1930s and 40s, which took shape in a society where 'pillarized' social divisions were more important than horizontal class structure. This paper examines how, within this context, the Delft physicist Jan Burgers developed a version of scientific politics, built on a philosophy of value-laden science.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)231-245
JournalMinerva
Volume46
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2008

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