SSK – Sociology of Scientific Knowledge, a.k.a. Social Studies of Knowledge

 

Previous to SSK:

“Internalist” accounts – strictly rational, technical. The “black box.”

“Externalist”  accounts not about content of science itself, merely its social “context” --about institutions, funding, personnel etc.

 

Thus a “biased science” theory could explain how the Mertonian norms of scientific objectivity could be violated by external influence. This means that social forces only introduce error; that science operates best when it is pure, social-free objectivity.

 

But SSK claims there is no rigid internal/external boundary; that science is “thoroughly” social.

 

A.     Predecessors  

a.      from Political Theory

Marx and Freud (19th, early 20) à Frankfurt School (Adorno, Horkheimer, Benjamin; 1920s-50s) à Habermas, Marcuse (1960s-70s)

 

b.     from Sociology

Ludwig Fleck, Karl Manheim, Boris Hessen (1930s)

 

c.      from Psychology

Lev Vygotsky (1920s)

 

 

 

B.     Social Construction

a.      Edinburgh School:

                                                  i.      Strong Programme: David Bloor

                                                ii.      Interests Analysis: Barry Barnes, David Edge, Donald MacKenzie.

 

b.     Bath School

                                                  i.      EPOR: Harry Collins

 

C.    Social-Technical Co-Construction (my term)

a.      Boundary Objects (Star and Griesemer)

b.     Actor-Network Theory (Latour)

c.      Non-human actants (Latour, Callon, Haraway)