43rd chat, October 6 2015: neutrality and objectivity in scientific information
6pm Pacific / 7pm Mountain / 8pm Central  / 9pm Eastern

Moderated by @rorylitwin

Suggested reading:

• “Scientific Objectivity” article by Julian Reiss and Jan Sprenger, from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-objectivity

Discussion questions:

• Q1. What might a #critlib stance on claims to scientific authority and objectivity in the vaccination debate be?
• Q2. Anti-vaccination arguments cite pharmaceutical industry influence on science. What might a #critlib evaluation of this concern be?
• Q3. Should potential public health outcomes influence the way we handle reference questions about vaccination, or is the patron’s autonomy the only consideration?
• Q4. What does neutrality or non-neutrality mean in the context of reference questions about the vaccination debate? What about authority?