Overview

""" . . . are dinosaurs social constructs? Might not all of our beliefs about dinosaurs merely be figments of the paleontological imagination? A few years ago such questions would have seemed preposterous, even nonsensical. Now they must have a serious answer."" At stake in the ""Science Wars"" that have raged in academe and in the media is nothing less than the standing of science in our culture. One side argues that science is a ""social construct,"" that it does not discover facts about the world, but rather constructs artifacts disguised as objective truths. This view threatens the authority of science and rejects science's claims to objectivity, rationality, and disinterested inquiry. Drawing Out Leviathan examines this argument in the light of some major debates about dinosaurs: the case of the wrong-headed dinosaur, the dinosaur ""heresies"" of the 1970s, and the debate over the extinction of dinosaurs. Keith Parsons claims that these debates show that evidence and logic remained vitally important. They show science to be a complex set of activities, pervaded by social influences, and not easily reducible to any stereotype. Parsons acknowledges that there are lessons to be learned by scientists from their would-be adversaries, and the book concludes with some recommendations for ending the Science Wars."

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Keith Parsons is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Houston, Clear Lake, and author of God and the Burden of Proof. He is editor of Philo, Journal of the Society of Humanist Philosophers. A lifelong actor and performer, Will Tulin has performed both on stage and in film and television. From San Diego morning show talent to horror film villain, Will's work also includes voice work for animation, performing with La Jolla Playhouse, and producing fiction podcasts. As a narrator, Will brings all of this experience to bear, while connecting with his former self; the kid who held a flashlight under the covers because he just couldn't put down a book.

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