03/27/2026
In a recent conversation, one of our authors shared a quote with me from Irish novelist James Joyce. “I always write about Dublin,” Joyce says, “because if I can get to the heart of Dublin I can get to the heart of all the cities of the world. In the particular is contained the universal.”
It’s an apt introduction to our first piece this week. In her long-form feature, social scientist Gwen Ottinger takes us into the heart of the Gray’s Ferry neighborhood in Philadelphia to witness a community debate about the future of an oil refinery. In the particular of Gray’s Ferry, we find universal lessons about how science influences decision-making (or falls short), how scientists can get it right and still miss the point, and how certain dynamics, which Ottinger shows are hidden in plain sight, can determine the outcome of a debate even before anyone has spoken a word.
For anyone who believes that science should help inform how we organize society and wonders why it doesn't seem to have the influence it could, Ottinger’s piece is a must-read.
Read the piece here: https://behavioralscientist.org/facts-and-the-fight-for-moral-high-ground/
- Evan Nesterak, Editor-in-Chief
