Dissemination-degradation models of scientific and technological knowledge

• Main Author: Jorge M. Escobar Ortiz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano - ITM 2017-07-01
• Series: Trilogia
• Subjects: popularization of science; translation models; circulation models; epistemic deficit; political deficit
• Online Access: https://revistas.itm.edu.co/index.php/trilogia/article/view/628/632

This paper presents an analysis of the dissemination-degradation models of scientific and technological knowledge in the popularization of science. Such analysis is carried out from the angle of knowledge in transit, and not by adopting approaches like the opposition between deficit and democracy or other similar ones. The first part is a discussion on the lack of consensus among scholars on the popularization of science, which is reflected even at the terminological level. Then, the article considers the treatment of such popularization from the standpoint of the opposition between deficit models and other types of communicative models. Afterwards, the knowledge dissemination-degradation models are examined from the perspective of knowledge in transit. Finally, the article presents some ideas on the direction the popularization of science has taken thanks to the criticism over the dissemination-degradation models of scientific and technological knowledge.