Full Description
The world around us is continually being shaped by science, and by society's relationship to it. In recent years sociologists have been increasingly preoccupied with the latter, and now in this fascinating book, Massimiano Bucchi provides a brief introduction to this topical issue.
Bucchi provides clear and unassuming summaries of all the major theoretical positions within the sociology of science, illustrated with many fascinating examples. Theories covered include Thomas Kuhn's theory of scientific change, the sociology of scientific knowledge, actor-network theory, and the social construction of technology. The second half of the book looks at recent public controversies over the role of science in the modern world including:
* the Sokal affair, otherwise known as the science wars
* debates over public understanding of science, such as global warming and genetically modified food
* the implications of the human genome project.
This much needed introduction to a rapidly growing area brings theory alive and will be essential reading for all students of the sociology of science.
Contents
Introduction 1. The Development of Modern Science and the Birth of the Sociology of Science 1.1. From Little Science to Big Science 1.2. The Rise of the Sociology of Science 1.3. The 'Matthew Effect' and the '41st Chair': Competition and inequality in science 2. Paradigms and Styles of Thought: A 'social window' on science? 2.1. A Plant that Divides Botanists 2.2. Science and Revolutions 2.3. Why is the Cassowary not a Bird? 3. Is Mathematics Socially Shaped? The 'strong programme' 3.1. The Planet that could be seen only from France 3.2. Is Mathematics Socially Shaped? 3.3. The Weaknesses of the Strong Programme 4. Inside The Laboratory 4.1. Experimental Demonstration of the Tomatotropic Organization in the Soprano 4.2. Inside the Controversy 4.3. Science as a Two-Faced Janus: The actor-network approach 5. Stirrups, Watches and Bycicles: The sociology of technology 5.1. The Importance of a Stirrup 5.2. The Watchmaker that Surprised Astronomers 5.3. A Mysterious Cyclist 5.4. Beyond Innovation: What really happened in Baghdad's sky? 6. Science Wars 6.1. Hoaxes and Experiments 6.2. Have we never been Sociologists of Science? 6.3. What Sociology of Science? 7. Communicating Science 7.1. The Traditional Conception of Public Communication of Science 7.2. A Scientifically Illiterate Public? 7.3. The Role of Scientists 7.4. Public Communication of Science as the Continuation of Scientific Debate by Other Means 7.5. Can Knowledge Be Transferred? 7.6. From Deficit to Dialogue, From Dialogue to Participation - and Next? 8. A New Science? 8.1. From the Laboratory to the Stock Exchange 8.2. The Dilemmas of Intellectual Property, Between Patents and Open Access 8.3. From Physics to Biology 8.4. A Mediatised Science 8.5. A Global and 'Open' Science? 8.6. Can We Still Call it 'Scientific Community'? 8.7. Science 2.0 in a Society 2.0?
