Scientific Knowledge: A Sociological Analysis

by Barry Barnes, David Bloor, John Henry

Although science was once seen as the product of individual great men working in isolation, we now realize that, like any other creative activity, science is a highly social enterprise, influenced in subtle as well as obvious ways by the wider culture and values of its time. Scientific Knowledge is the first introduction to social studies of scientific knowledge.

The authors, all noted for their contributions to science studies, have organized this book so that each chapter examines a key step in the process of doing science. Using case studies from cognitive science, physics, and biology to illustrate their descriptions and applications of the social study of science, they show how this approach provides a crucial perspective on how science is actually done.

Scientific Knowledge will be of interest not only to those engaged in science studies, but also to anyone interested in the practice of science.

Genres: Sociology, Science, Philosophy, Nonfiction

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

S. Barry Barnes was Professor of Sociology at the University of Exeter. He is known for his pioneering work on the sociological study of knowledge generation and evaluation in science, and on the credibility of scientific expertise.

Reviews

[Sharad Pandian]

An introductory textbook to the Sociology of Science, it is simultaneously the most patient book I've read, with hand-holding in every paragraph, and the most exasperated, since the authors realize they will almost certainly be misunderstood despite all the hand-holding.

[Alexandre Guay]

Une défense sérieuse du relativisme épistémologique. À lire ne serait-ce que pour leur répondre.