2017/10/11 by Matthew Daniel Eddy · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes #Historical Economic and Social Studies #History of Science and Natural History #Scrutiny #Politics #Legislature #State (computer science) #Liberalism #Darwinism #Sociology #Political science #Phenomenon #Social science #Environmental ethics #Public administration #Political economy #Law #Epistemology
paper · doi:10.1017/s0007087417000863
openalex publication_date 2017/10/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
In recent years the historical relationship between scientific experts and the state has received increasing scrutiny. Such experts played important roles in the creation and regulation of environmental organizations and functioned as agents dispatched by politicians or bureaucrats to assess health-related problems and concerns raised by the public or the judiciary. But when it came to making public policy, scientists played another role that has received less attention. In addition to acting as advisers and assessors, some scientists were democratically elected members of local and national legislatures. In this essay I draw attention to this phenomenon by examining how liberal politicians and intellectuals used Darwinian cognitive science to conceptualize the education of children in Victorian Britain.