Synergism of Science and Social Justice

On May 10, 2011, a school bus drops off seniors at an East Harlem Market in New York City (NYC). School buses that sit idle between their morning and afternoon runs transport seniors to the marketplace and other events under the “Age-Friendly NYC” program. Photograph by Bebeto Matthews. Printed with permission of AP Wide World.

In his recent Editor's Choice, “Science, Knowledge, and Society,”¹ Camargo correctly outlines the unique role of science in public health. Of particular interest is his call to involve civil society in science. In response and support, we describe the synergism between scientific principles and those of social justice, in the context of public health and civil society.

The 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA) highlighted social justice as being integral to public health; indeed, “social justice is the foundation of public health.”² Whereas the tenets of social justice are understood, implementing those within an evidence-based framework is not. Within the APHA Science Board, a meaningful discussion has commenced regarding how both science and social justice can improve public health.

Social justice and science are often presumed to be informed by entirely different sets of governing principles. However, using HIV/AIDS as an example Camargo points out that the scientific domain must overlap with that of civil society. Public health benefits neither by hewing too narrowly to a cause of social justice, nor to the blindness of science; rather, a higher return on investment to our communities is achieved when science and social justice are interdependent and interconnected. Quoting Cornel West, we must not be “adapted to injustice,”³ which may occur through scientific insularity or overemphasis on purism.

Just as science draws from multiple disciplines, so does social justice. For example, international human rights (IHR) law uses evidence from existing laws and regulations (resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, decisions of the International Court of Justice, and rulings of the Organization of American States and European Union). IHR law also considers national courts’ interpretation of international law. Likewise, community-based participatory research draws from community knowledge and assets in tandem with academic and other sources of science.

Understanding the relationship between science and social justice is not intuitive. APHA can serve as a locus of advocacy to make science work for communities. Rather than advocating for one domain over the other, our communities are better served by exploring and leveraging the linkages between science and social justice. By preempting social injustices through greater funding for prevention and assertively addressing health disparities, we can empower communities to shape the research agenda which affects them.⁴ These issues are prerequisites to improving public health in a manner that is ethical, responsible, and scientifically valid.