Data and Society: A Critical Introduction investigates the growing importance of data as a technological, social, economic and scientific resource. It explains how data practices have come to underpin all aspects of human life and explores what this means for those directly involved in handling data.
The book
- fosters informed debate over the role of data in contemporary society
- explains the significance of data as evidence beyond the ‘Big Data’ hype
- spans the technical, sociological, philosophical and ethical dimensions of data
- provides guidance on how to use data responsibly
- includes data stories that provide concrete cases and discussion questions.
Grounded in examples spanning genetics, sport and digital innovation, this book fosters insight into the deep interrelations between technical, social and ethical aspects of data work.
Table of Content
Section 1: Data in Society
Chapter 1: Data in Society
Section 2: Data Creation
Chapter 2: Big Data in Context
Chapter 3: Characteristics of Data
Chapter 4: Data, Evidence and Knowledge
Section 3: Data Circulation
Chapter 5: Putting Data to Work
Chapter 6: New Data Skills
Chapter 7: Governance of Data Journeys
Section 4: Data Value, Innovation and Responsibility
Chapter 8: Data as a Source of Value
Chapter 9: Data Justice and Ethics
Chapter 10: Responsible Use of Data as Evidence
Section 5: Conclusion: Data and the Knowledge We Need
Chapter 11: Towards Good Data Science
About the author
Sabina Leonelli is Professor in Philosophy and History of Science at the University of Exeter, where she co-directs the Centre for the Study of the Life Sciences and leads the governance strand of the Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Her interdisciplinary research and collaborations focus on the epistemology and governance of scientific data and models, and the role of open science in the global – and highly unequal – research landscape. She is Fellow of the Alan Turing Institute and the Académie Internationale de Philosophie de la Science; Editor-in-Chief of History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences; and Associate Editor of the Harvard Data Science Review. She served as expert advisor for national and international agencies and received funding from several public funders including two awards from the European Research Council. Her books include the award-winning Data-Centric Biology: A Philosophical Study (Chicago UP, 2016) and Data Journeys in the Sciences (Springer, 2020, with Niccolo Tempini).
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