Scientific Knowledge (A Sociological Analysis)

Author: (British) Barnes et al., translated by Xing Dongmei and Cai Zhong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK). Also known as social constructivism, it has had a profound impact on the philosophy of science, the study of science and culture, and even the entire human culture since its birth at the University of Edinburgh in the late 1970s. In the Western philosophy of science, it gradually replaced the dominant position of methodologies before the 1970s, occupying the main battlefield of cultural studies in science, and becoming the epistemological and methodological foundation of the now fervent "Science Studies" in Western academia. In Western cultural circles, it serves as the theoretical basis for emerging trends such as feminism and post-colonialism. At the same time, it has also sparked significant controversy. In short, it is one of the focal points of contemporary Western academic thought. To address the vast literature on the sociology of scientific knowledge, the founders of the school, Barnes, Bloor, and Henry, have compiled this concise reader, hoping to provide readers with a relatively comprehensive understanding and grasp of the basic ideas of SSK in a shorter period of time.