GLOSSARY - Making Sense of Nature - page 294

desirable or unproblematic. Pragmatists argue that genres of communication
differ not because they attend to a pre-existing 'reality' in different ways.
Instead, they differ, so pragmatists claim, because they seek to realise differ-
ent human goals (e.g. the appreciation of beauty, the cultivation of 'moral'
conduct and so on) by talking about the world in ways that articulate those
goals.
Productive power Any form of social power that works by making
things possible for social actors rather than expressly prohibiting or pun-
ishing. Typically, but not always, soft power is productive. It works by
presenting opportunities for thinking and acting that may not be perceived
by those taking advantage of them as tools of power. Critics point out that
if power is seen as productive, it bleeds into resistance to power ,ratheremp-
tying the concept of social power of substantive meaning. Additionally, we
must acknowledge that any form of social power that's productive must also
have a prohibitive dimension in order to work. This is because no form of
social power can make all things possible for all social actors: there must be
implicit restrictions on the field of available thought and action.
Public pedagogy The process whereby members of any public are daily
'educated' about the world in which they live. Like formal schooling, pub-
lic pedagogy has a 'curriculum', albeit an unplanned one controlled by no
single authority. This curriculum ensures social reproduction and stability,
and economic growth and stability. It's largely 'taught' by prominent epi-
stemic communities inhabiting the worlds of television, print journalism,
universities, advertising and film.
Public sphere A virtual domain in which citizens are able to express
and discuss matters of common concern. In democratic societies, the public
sphere is relatively autonomous from the domains of the family, market
and state. For decades, the news media (print and broadcast) have been a
vital ingredient in the public sphere's existence. Without a public sphere it
would be hard for citizens to form views that could then inform their voting
decisions or other actions towards an elected government. A vibrant public
sphere is thought to be a precondition and result of a strong civil society.
Referent A part, set of parts or the totality of the material world to which
signifiers and signifieds are attached by convention. For instance, the word
'snow' conjures up a mental image of white, soft, frozen water falling from
the sky. That image is then used to make sense of certain meteorological
phenomena, as if snow is snow in all times and places. Far from being the
'objective' anchors of our signifiers and signifieds, we arguably only 'see'
these anchors via the latter.
Re-naturalisation The process of treating as natural some aspect of the
world previously thought to be social in character or else caused by social
processes. It involves applying one or more of the four meanings of nature,