The Philosophy of Science and Technology Studies

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Psychology Press, 2006 - 191 pages
Acknowledgments p. ix I Introduction: The Conspicuous Absence of Philosophy from Science and Technology Studies p. 1 II The Sociology of Knowledge: The Philosophical Backdrop to STS p. 11 1 Philosophical Foundations and Main Sociological Traditions p. 11 2 Science as a Special Problem for the Sociology of Knowledge p. 14 3 Kuhn's Checkered Legacy to STS p. 21 4 The Punch Line: A Sociology of Science that is not a Sociology of Knowledge p. 28 5 Relativism and the Illusion of Autonomy in Science p. 30 6 STS's Janus-faced Antirealism: Relativism versus Constructivism p. 35 7 Conclusion: So is Relativism the Wrong Target? p. 39 III Philosophy In, Of, and Beyond the Scientific Field Site p. 45 8 Making Philosophy Safe for STS: The Rise of the Underlaborer p. 45 9 Philosophy by Sociological Means: STS as Fieldwork p. 49 10 STS Catches Philosophy by the Achilles' Heel: The Problem of Replication p. 54 11 What Is Living and Undead in Actor-network Theory p. 58 12 STS Fieldwork as a Reflection of the Shifting Material Conditions of Scientific Work p. 67 13 New Horizons for Laboratory Life: Science as a Site of Generational Conflict and Jurisdictional Ambiguity p. 72 IV "Postmodern Positivism": STS by Another Name? p. 79 14 Platonism as Proto-Positivism p. 79 15 The Dialectical History of Positivism p. 82 16 Postmodernism as Positivism's Bastard Child p. 88 17 Motivating the Science Wars: The Politics of Popularizing and Esotericizing Science p. 93 18 The Elusive "Spontaneous Philosophy of the Scientists" Defended in the Science Wars p. 98 19 Does Research Fraud Matter? Reflections on the Sokal Hoax as a Social Experiment p. 102 20 What Should Have Been Done About Sokal? What Can Be Done About Positivism? p. 108 V Re-enchanting Science: Beyond Puritans and Gnostics p. 115 21 The Science Wars as Signaling the End of Scientific Puritanism p. 115 22 The Secularization of Science as a Precondition to its Re-enchantment p. 122 23 Re-enchanting Science with a Vengeance: Gnostic Scientism p. 127 24 Prolegomena to the Hidden History of Gnostic Biology p. 133 25 Distinguishing the Enchanted and Disenchanted Mind: The Mark of Theodicy p. 141 26 Two Disenchanted Theodicies: Invisible Hand and Natural Selection p. 145 27 The Cost of Disenchantment: A Failed Scientific Defense of Human Freedom p. 149 28 Conclusions: Meeting Weber's Challenge and Transcending the Science Wars p. 152 VI Citizen Science: Cultivating a Life in STS p. 157 29 Introduction: Beware of Greeks Bearing Historical Precedents p. 157 30 Expertise and Its Discontents: Some Institutional Alternatives p. 160 31 Institutionalizing the Public Understanding of Science in Consensus Conferences p. 164 32 The Prospects for Scientific Citizenship Today p. 171 33 Conclusion: Toward a Rhetorical Reclamation of Science p. 174 Bibliography p. 181 Index p. 189.

From inside the book

Contents

The Philosophical
11
Kuhns Checkered Legacy to
21
A Sociology of Science that
28
Philosophy In Of and Beyond the Scientific Field Site
45
STS by Another Name?
79
Beyond Puritans and Gnostics
115
Cultivating a Life in STS
157
Bibliography
181
45
187
Index
189
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About the author (2006)

Steve Fuller is Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick, England. Formally trained in history, philosophy, and sociology of science, he is best known for his pioneering work in social epistemology. His most recent books include Thomas Kuhn: A Philosophical History for Our Times and Knowledge Management Foundations.

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