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‘Science Without Scientists’: DIY Biology and the Renegotiation of the Life Sciences

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Science under Siege

Part of the book series: Cultural Sociology ((CULTSOC))

Abstract

This chapter discusses the Do-It-Yourself biology movement, also known as biohacking. DIY biology engages in biological research outside scientific institutions, even though many of those concerned have academic credentials. It is not at all ‘against’ science, but dislikes the ways in which scientific institutions straightjacket science. The chapter maps how DIY biology is informed by the anti-institutional ethos of the countercultural computer hacker movement and its ideals of democratic openness, open source, sharing of resources, and decentralization. It dreams of liberating science from its institutional entrapments, of democratizing research by making it accessible to everyone, and of reawakening the sheer spirit of pleasure, fun, and creativity held to lie at the heart of science. The dream of DIY biology is one of ‘science without scientists,’

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Massimiliano Simons

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  1. Massimiliano Simons
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Correspondence to Massimiliano Simons .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Sociological Research, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Dick Houtman

  2. Institute for Media Studies, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Stef Aupers

  3. Center for Sociological Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Rudi Laermans

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Simons, M. (2021). ‘Science Without Scientists’: DIY Biology and the Renegotiation of the Life Sciences. In: Houtman, D., Aupers, S., Laermans, R. (eds) Science under Siege. Cultural Sociology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69649-8_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69649-8_7

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-69648-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-69649-8

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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