Philosophy of Science

Philosophy of Science

David Bloor

The processes that technology incorporates, the social practices that constitute it, and the myriad ways we interact with it are at the heart of STS. The terms actor-network, which emphasizes the importance of interactions and network formation in the development of technology, and socio-technical ensemble, which has been defined as hybrid networks that enclose human as well as technological components and relations between the components, are significant to its specific function, are used in STS to suggest that objects and humans not be seen as separate entities but that material objects and humans mutually constitute each other. Thus, instead of seeing the two as separate analytical categories, any analysis must start from the fact objects and people are always entangled to various degrees, and that social, political, cultural, and economic values affect innovation and that innovation in turn affects them. In fact, it was the more complex the technology, the greater the entanglement.

STS recognizes the fact that technologies are central to identity—the key difference between the contemporary world and past worlds is the kind of technology that is used and the way in which it is used in daily life. STS also intensively looks at the relationships of power that are at the heart of technology and development. These relationships of power have the force of common sense and therefore are hegemonic, or in other words, they are so deeply rooted in social life that they seem natural to those it dominates. A good example of this would be gender or masculine and feminine roles in many sciences, but especially the life sciences. Feminist scholars have shown how the “biologization” of gender differences or the argument that males and females have innate natural differences ignores the social contexts that can produce gendered behaviour, and challenges the ideological framework that supports sex difference research.

Philosophy relates to sociology as rational to irrational, which in effect licenses a division of labour between the two disciplines. Sociology takes over from philosophy once people act in ways that cannot be explained by the canons of rationality. Depending on how often these violations are thought to occur, sociologists have either a lot or a little to explain. MANNHEIM and BLOOR reflect opposing views of the matter, especially with respect to knowledge-producing activities. Mannheim argues that sociology cannot explain universally valid forms of knowledge (mathematics and the natural sciences), Bloor regards such knowledge as just as tractable to sociological analysis as political ideologies or religious beliefs. ROTH casts a critical philosophical gaze on both positions, accusing Bloor of trying to erect a super science of sociology that escapes his deflation of other sciences.

The strong program in sociology of science David Bloor

In 1962, reads "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by Kuhn showing the feasibility of relating the history of science content and scientific. Receipt of Kuhnian theory of science culminated in the establishment of the Fort of the Sociology of Science, raised by David Bloor in 1976.

Under this conception of scientific knowledge, Bloor decided ...