Abstract

According to a familiar though naive conception, science is a rigorously neutral enterprise, free from social and cultural influence, but more sophisticated philosophical views about science have revealed that social and cultural are ubiquitous in scientific practice, and thus ought not be ignored when attempting to understand, describe and prescribe proper behavior for the practice of science. Indeed, many theorists have argued that social and cultural values and interests must be present in science in order to make sense of the world. The concept of objectivity has been utilized in the philosophy of science as a way to discuss and explore the various types of social and cultural influence that operate in science. The concept has also served as the focus of debates about just how much neutrality we can or should expect in science. ;This thesis examines feminist ideas regarding how to revise and enrich the concept of objectivity, and how these suggestions help achieve both feminist and scientific goals. Feminists offer us warnings about "idealized" concepts of objectivity, and suggest that power can play a crucial role in determining which research programs get labeled "objective". In addition, the views examined in this thesis offer conceptions of objectivity that are intended to allow us to increase the extent to which our scientific theories are objective, but at the same time allow us to appreciate the role of cultural and social interests as they play a role in science.