The Science Court Experiment

Abstract

The Task Force1 on the Science Court Experiment was appointed by the Presidential Advisory Group on Anticipated Advances in Science and Technology to explore the feasibility of a series of experiments to help define the promise and the problems of the Science Court approach for providing factual basis for policy-making. This is an interim report from the Task Force. There are many cases in which technical experts disagree on scientific facts that are relevant to important public decisions. Nuclear power, disturbances to the ozone layer, and food additives are recent examples. As a result, there is a pressing need to find better methods for resolving factual disputes to pvovide a sounder basis for public decisions. We ac? cordingly propose a series of experiments to develop adversary proceedings and test their value in resolving technical disputes over questions of scientific fact.2 One such approach is embodied in a proposed Science Court that is to be concerned solely with questions of scientific fact. It will leave social value questions?the ultimate policy decisions?to the normal decision-making apparatus of our society, namely, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government as well as popular referenda. Similar proposals have been made by several authors, and those which have come to the attention of the Task Force are listed in the bibliography.

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