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.