RE: Scientific Uncertainty and the Politics of Whaling, by Michael Heazle

[Wil Burns]

FYI. wil   From: Beth DeWeese [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 4:19 PM To: "Beth DeWeese"@u.washington.edu Subject: Scientific Uncertainty and the Politics of Whaling, by Michael Heazle   Book Announcement Scientific Uncertainty and the Politics of Whaling Michael Heazle (University of Washington Press, 2006, $60.00 cloth) In this intriguing study, Michael Heazle examines how International Whaling Commission (IWC) policy dramatically shifted from furthering the interests of whaling nations to eventually banning all commercial whaling. Focusing on the internal workings of a single organization, Heazle explores the impact of political and economic imperatives on the production and interpretation of scientific research and advice. Central to his work are the epistemological problems encountered in the production of "truth." Science does not produce incontestable facts that can be expected to lead to consensus; rather, the problematic nature of knowledge itself allows for various interpretations of data depending on the interests of those at the table. It is precisely the nature of scientific knowledge, Heazle argues, that has made uncertainty a tool in service of political objectives. When scientific advice to whaling nations could not with absolute certainty declare whaling practices a threat to stocks, those IWC members with substantial investments of political and economic capital used this uncertainty to reject a reduction in quotas. As perceptions of whaling changed -- with the collapse of Antarctic whaling stocks, further diminishing economic returns, and public opinion turning against commercial whaling -- uncertainty switched sides. Non-whaling members in the IWC, a majority by the late 1970s, claimed that because scientific data could not prove that commercial whaling was sustainable, hunting should stop. Uncertainty was used to protect the resource rather than the industry. For more information, including a table of contents, please visit:  http://www.washington.edu/uwpress/search/books/HEASCC.html -- Beth DeWeese Direct Marketing Manager *********************************** University of Washington Press PO Box 50096 Seattle, WA 98145-5096 206-221-5890 206-543-3932 (fax) [EMAIL PROTECTED]   Sign up for our e-mail notification program at: www.washington.edu/uwpress   Order by phone:  1-800-441-4115 (or 206-543-8870) Order by fax: 1-800-669-7993 (or 206-543-3932) ***********************************