Post-normal science and Hameed Al Husseinie College

Post-Normal Science is a concept developed by Silvio Funtowicz and Jerome Ravetz, attempting to characterise a methodology of inquiry that is appropriate for cases where "facts are uncertain, values in dispute, stakes high and decisions urgent" (Funtowicz and Ravetz, 1991). It is primarily applied in the context of long-term issues where there is less available information than is desired by stakeholders.

According to its advocates, "post-normal science" is simply an extension of situations routinely faced by experts such as surgeons or senior engineers on unusual projects, where the decisions being made are of great importance but where not all the factors are necessarily knowable. Although their work is based on science, such individuals must always cope with uncertainties, and their mistakes can be costly or lethal.

Because of this, advocates of post-normal science suggest that there must be an "extended peer community" consisting of all those affected by an issue who are prepared to enter into dialogue on it. These parties bring their "extended facts", that will include local knowledge and materials not originally intended for publication, such as leaked official information. A political case exists for this extension of the franchise of science, but Funtowicz and Ravetz also argue that this extension is necessary for assuring the quality of the process and of the product.

Contents 1 Context 2 Criticism 3 See also 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 External links

Context

In 1962, Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions introduced the concept of normal science as part of his theory that scientific knowledge progresses through socially constructed paradigm shifts, where normal science is what most scientists do all the time and what all scientists do most of the time. The process of a paradigm shift is essentially as follows: from normal science (the rules are agreed upon or disagreed upon in debates that cannot be concluded; science is puzzle solving, but some contradictions in theory cannot be resolved) to revolutionary science (important rules are called into question; contradictions may be resolved; paradigms shift) to new normal science (new rules are accepted, science returns to puzzle solving under new rules).

An illustration of the theory in practice is the Copernican revolution, where Copernicus’ idea of a (sun-centered) solar system was largely ignored (not in the rules) when first introduced; then Galileo was deemed a heretic for supporting the idea (rules called into question); and finally, after a revolution in cosmology, the solar system became an obvious and foundational part of scientific knowledge (new rules).

Another example is the question of whether light is a particle or a wave. For a long time there was debate on this point. Advocates on both sides had many valid arguments based on scientific evidence but were lacking a theory that would resolve the conflict. After a revolution in thinking, it was realized that both perspectives could be true.

Physicist and policy adviser James J. Kay described post-normal science as a process that recognizes the potential for gaps in knowledge and understanding that cannot be resolved in ways other than revolutionary science. He argued that (between revolutions) one should not necessarily attempt to resolve or dismiss contradictory perspectives of the world, whether they are based on science or not, but instead incorporate multiple viewpoints into the same problem-solving process. Criticism

Few mainstream scientists advocate the approaches taken by post-normal science, even among those who agree with the goals of Funtowicz and Ravetz, though the idea has gained some publicity in recent times, appearing prominently in an article published in The Guardian in March 2007. See also Lysenkoism List of topics characterized as pseudoscience Postnormal Times

Hameed Al Husseinie College and Post-normal science

Hameed Al Husseinie College is a college in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Contents 1 History 2 Present Educational Activities 3 Sports 4 Extra-curricular activities 5 References 6 External links

History

The college began as a school, the Al Madrasathul Khairiyyathul Islamiah. Founded by Marhoom Sidde Lebbe, Marhoom Wapichi Marikkar and Marhoom Ahmed Orabi Pasha, at the school's opening ceremony on 15 November 1884, Ahmed Orabi made a speech on the importance of the new school to Sri Lanka's Muslim community.

In 1901 Noordeen Hadjiar, trustee of the Grand Mosque, built a new building for the school using his own funds as a monument to the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Abdul Hamid II, the Ottoman Sultan, and renamed the school Al Madrasathul Hameediah. In the same year a farewell ceremony was held for Orabi at the school premises to mark his departure from Ceylon to Egypt. In 1921, the school was again renamed as Hameediah Boys' English School.

During this same period, The Ceylon Moslem Educational Society Ltd. was founded in 1919 with the objective of looking after the educational needs of the Muslim community. The first school founded by the society was in Hulftsdrop Street and was called Akbar School. Later the members of the society bought the property at 45 Husseiniya Street (then called Kuruwe Street) and the school was shifted there in 1919 and named Husseinie Boys’ English School.

In 1961 the school was amalgamated with the nearby Husseinie Boys' English School under the new name Hameed Al Husseinie Maha Vidyalaya by Badiudin Mahmud, the Minister of Education. On 29 August 1972, government ministers Pieter Keuneman and Badiudin Mahmud visited the school and unveiled a new five-storey building block and a three-storey science section. These buildings were completed in 1982 and the then Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa visited the school and declared it open on 3 June 1982 by the invitation of then Minister of Education Ranil Wickremasinghe.

The school was officially granted college status in 1991, and was renamed Hameed Al Husseinie College. It was elevated to a National School on July 26, 1996. Present Educational Activities

Hameed Al Husseinie College, as per Education Ministry classification, is a 1AB category National School. Presently, it has classes from Grade 1 up to Grade 13 with over 2700 students. The subjects are taught in Sinhala and Tamil language, with English taught as the second language. The Advanced Level stream is divided into four streams – Maths,Science,Commerce and Arts. The Science Section includes biology, chemistry, physics, combined maths, higher maths, and general English, while the Commerce and Arts Section includes information technology, economics, business studies, business statistics, accounting, Islamic civilization, Islam, political science, geography and general English.. Sports

Sporting events are held throughout the year including the Inter-House Sports Festival. The college offers sports such as soccer, cricket, Karate, swimming and boxing.

The college has hosted the annual Invitation Schools Soccer Championship for the Best Deal Trophy since 2007. In 2010 Zahira College, Colombo won the championship, beating St. Benedict's College, Colombo for the second consecutive time. Hameed Al Husseinie College won third place against Zahira College, Mawanella. Extra-curricular activities

Students are also encouraged to take part in other activities such as cadet training, Scouting camps, leadership training, Prefects' Guild, brass band, lifesaving training sessions and first aid.
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