Das freundliche Selbst und der angreifende Feind

Politische Metaphern und Körperkonzepte in der Wissensvermittlung der Biologie

Abstract

Schoolbooks and texts of popular science tend to present the human immune system as a battle between two strictly opposed factions: The normal and friendly self is supposed to be attacked by its hostile enemy, the nonself. And since these opponents are said to have nothing in common the problem of telling them apart hardly ever arises. As shown in this example, claims scientists make about the natural world are also shaped by the system of cultural values predominant in their society. Consequently, students of biology do not only learn about the natural world - they also learn about cultural conventions and practices as if those were a part of nature. In my paper I will describe how textbooks of biology tackle the human immune system. In doing so, I will demonstrate how the analysis of the used models, metaphors and visual representations can help to criticize concepts of reality that usually are considered to be "neutral". My aim is to question the influence of seemingly unbiased descriptions of scientific perceptions in the context of education.