Introduction

There is a certain ambiguity in the understanding of the nature of science. Arguments claiming its authority are frequent, ideas about its reliability, factuality, and so forth, are still held widely, while a strong skepsis about scientific achievements is also present. The introductory essay argues that science-production has never actually been congruent with the 19th-century understanding of science whose central notion was objectivity – an idea that still exists in different forms. The article addresses three aspects of objectivity explored by the following papers in more details: the unity of science, the impartiality of the practitioner, and the expertise of the observer. The essay suggests that it is worth reflecting on different dimensions of science production, and that such a reflection will yield a picture of science far more interesting and exciting than that of 19th-century idealizations.