The analyses are intended for use by sociologists, legal practitioners, scientists, and policymakers. They note that policymakers and the legal system look to science to provide neutral facts on which to base decisions. However, recent controversies regarding the drug Opren, the forensic evidence in the "Birmingham Six" case in England, and the inquiry into the Sizewell nuclear power plant show that science often does not provide a clear basis for decisions and often increases rather than decreases conflict. Thus, legal procedures and administrative decisions rest on non-neutral assumptions about science. In fact, ambiguity and incompleteness are intrinsic to science, and legal settings often expose this fact. Nevertheless, legal practitioners still try to use science to create socially authoritative decisions. Table, chapter reference notes, and index. (Publisher summary modified)