A Hierarchy of Interests: Discursive Practices on the Value of Particle and High-Energy Physics

Abstract

Abstract Current science policy emphasizes practical outcomes. In this article, I explore how a fundamental research community addresses the value of research, an area that has received a little attention. In the wake of the discovery of the Higgs boson, I analyse how particle physicists interpret the values of their research in interviews and a strategic document. The result indicates a hierarchy of interests that coordinates different values of particle physics in discourse: the status of scientific and cultural value is higher than that of societal and material value. This finding implies that value propositions are inseparable from the articulation of interests, and qualitative discourse analysis can approach a combined understanding of the two. In science policy studies, there is not yet sufficient studies on how scientists appraise different values of research. The hierarchical discursive practice on values shed lights on a culture different from policy trends.