Flood hazard science, policy, and values: A pragmatist stance

Victor R. Baker

Technology in Society, 2007, vol. 29, issue 2, 161-168

Abstract: The New Orleans hurricane disaster of August 2005 amply illustrates the long-standing failure of relating science to effective policies for reducing flood losses. Particularly flawed is the myth that science constitutes a repository of authoritative knowledge that will objectively serve as the basis for effective policies. This flaw derives from presumptions about the nature of science that can be corrected by employing a pragmatic perspective. Science is the continuing search for truth by a dedicated community of practitioners. Its intrinsic fallibilism means it cannot authoritatively justify a particular action. Instead, its continuous activity provides a reliable guide to action.

Keywords: New Orleans; Hurricane Katrina; Flood science (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:teinso:v:29:y:2007:i:2:p:161-168

DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2007.01.004

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