The Worth of a Songbird: Ecological Economics as a Post-Normal Science
Author(s)
Funtowicz, Silvio O.; Ravetz, Jerome R.
Abstract
Economics has traditionally neglected uncertainties both in knowledge and in ethical issues. The economic paradigm is modeled on classical physics, and is a “normal” science in the sense articulated by Thomas Kuhn (1962). The scientific enigmas and policy riddles of global environmental policies call for a “post-normal science.” Central to this concept of a post-normal science is the organizing principle of quality, which requires a new methodology and social organization of work. The irreducible uncertainties and ethical complexities inherent in some issues can thus be managed as knowledge is democratized and the peer-group is broadened to include a number of different perspectives and norms of evidence and discourse. This paper lays out the framework for valuation techniques in a post-normal science.
