Kind-Making, objectivity, and political neutrality; the case of Solastalgia.
Politics and science, it is customarily and broadly assumed, should not mix. I investigate a purported "new mental illness" arising from psychological stress associated with environmental damage. Previous assessments have concluded that the diagnosis of "solastalgia", which is clearly intended to advance a political agenda, may thereby lack scientific validity. Building on work by Ian Hacking and Nelson Goodman, and drawing comparisons with the history of "political medicine"--in particular, the scientific study of Child Abuse and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome--I argue that the political consequences of such a diagnosis may plausibly help to justify it as a distinct objective scientific kind, by demarcating it from alternative classifications. That science should be objective, then, does not require that it be politically neutral.
Oxford Brookes University, Harcourt Hill Campus, Harcourt Hill, Oxford OX2 9AT, United Kingdom. shane.n.glackin@gmail.com
Shane Nicholas
SN
Glackin
D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D004777:Environment; D018876:Environmental Illness; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D001523:Mental Disorders; D011057:Politics; D012586:Science; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013398:Sudden Infant Death