Differing World-Views and Collective Action: The Case of Research

This essay combines constitutional choice and the sociologyof science. People do not only differ in preferences but alsoin worldviews. In order to steer research, society needs a basicsocial contract establishing a triple smallest common denominator.First: the provision with malleable resources is the best approximationto a common good to strive for. Second: formal procedures shouldbe used to determine the facts relevant to the question. Third:the maximization of malleable resources is the closest approximationto the incentives of those involved. If a hypothetical constitutionalassembly reaches an agreement on these points, it can designappropriate rules for research.