Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., and Arthur L. Caplan; Part I. Theoretical Perspectives: 1. Ethical theory and the problem of closure Tom L. Beauchamp; 2. Scientific controversy and its termination Ernan McMullin; 3. The political anatomy of controversy in the sciences Everett Mendelsohn; 4. Controversies involving science and technology: a theoretical perspective Ronald N. Giere; 5. Politics, public policy-making, and the process of reaching closure Robert F. Rich; 6. The role of experts in scientific controversy Garland E. Allen; 7. The continental drift debate Henry Frankel; 8. How history and politics affect closure in biomedical discussions: the example of the Soviet Union Loren R. Graham; 9. Scientific disputes over policy Allan Mazur; 10. Controversies and the authority of science Dorothy Nelkin; 11. Post-Skinner and post-Freud: philosophical causes of scientific disagreements Alasdair MacIntyre; Part II. Contemporary Case Studies: 12. Resolution of the Laetrile controversy: past attempts and future prospects Gerald E. Markle and James C. Petersen; 13. Federal regulation of Laetrile Robert S. K. Young; 14. Quasi libertarianism and the Laetrile controversy Baruch A. Brody; 15. Judicial deflection of scientific questions: pushing the Laetrile controversy toward medical closure Robert L. Schwartz; 16. Politics, science, and the problem of psychiatric nomenclature: a case study of the American Psychiatric Association referendum on homosexuality Ronald Bayer; 17. The diagnostic status of homosexuality in DSM-III: a reformulation of the issues Robert L. Spitzer; 18. On arriving at the American Psychiatric Association decision on homosexuality Irving Bieber; 19. Values in the debate over workplace safety and health: the rancorous rhetoric about regulation Gilbert S. Omenn; 20. The successful experiment that failed Marvin S. Legator; 21. The power of efficiency: balancing benefits and costs in regulating occupational exposure to toxic substances Taylor R. Durham; 22. Closure in occupational safety and health: the benzene and cotton dust decisions Mark MacCarthy; 23. Nuclear fear: a history and an experiment Spencer R. Weart; 24. Closure and controversy: three mile island Cora Bagley Marrett; 25. Understanding the nuclear power controversy Douglas MacLean; Part III. Controversy, Closure, and The Public: 26. The role of the mass media in scientific controversy Rae Goodell; 27. The National Commission on Human Experimentation: procedures and outcomes Stephen E. Toulmin; 28. The forms and norms of closure Ruth Macklin; Author index; Subject index.