Sarah Michaels, Professor, University of Nebraska sent me a PDF of an article she co-wrote on Water-Related Decision Making. Since I can't post a PDF, I'm extrapolating a few key points and adding my own two cents for you here. Tenants
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- There is a high cost of Interactions--Meaning that when you bring diverse groups together that all get to comment on and contribute to the decision making process it can get "messy." There will be likely diverging opinions based on constituencies and their values.
- People weigh their own experiences most heavily--People's own experiences trump all other forms of knowledge. So scientific evidence even when it is overwhelming may not be convincing. Scientists may be considered the "outsiders" who don't understand.
- Nothing happen quickly, and then something does--Amen here brother! The process drags on with little progress and then there is a "motivating" event and everyone wants to be included and have a say.
- Values, not science, arbitrates what happens--Again, science is not the determining factor, but the values, emotions and social structures come into play when we make decisions. Our goal needs to be incorporate the value based knowledge with that of scientific information.
