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Science Steve Fuller |
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A surprising examination of our understanding of science. What qualifies such seemingly disparate disciplines as paleontology, high-energy physics, industrial chemistry, and genetic engineering as "sciences," and hence worthy of sustained public interest and support? In this innovative and controversial introduction to the social character of scientific knowledge, Steve Fuller argues that if these disciplines share anything at all, it is more likely the way they strategically misinterpret their own history rather than any privileged access to the nature of reality. Science features a report written in the persona of a Martian anthropologist who systematically compares religious and scientific institutions on Earth, only to find that science does not necessarily live up to its own ideals of rationality. Fuller highlights science's multicultural nature through a discussion of episodes in which the West's own perception of science has been decisively affected by its encounters with Islam and Japan. Through this analysis we come to understand that science's most attractive feature—its openness to criticism—is threatened by the role it increasingly plays in the maintenance of social and economic order. "Science is a swashbuckling book. Fuller's formidable scholarship takes no prisoners." —Nature "This book is a useful and insightful journey through some of the key debates about science as a human activity. It covers a great deal of ground: Fuller is concerned with science as a domain of economic activity, an epistemological system, a social institution and as a historical and cultural artifact. The extraordinary erudition that the author displays makes the book both stimulating and thought-provoking." —Sociological Research Online "The work makes original and ingenious use of various conceptual tools from several social sciences. It contains a philosophical depth and a cultural and historical breadth rare in social accounts of science, while dealing with the most current contested issues. It sparkles with numerous new ideas and opens many avenues of inquiry for the scholar. The work is written in an engaging and witty style, making it useful as an introductory text as well as an analytic evaluation of current issues such as of that multiculturalism in science for more advanced scholars in sociology, science studies and philosophy." —History of the Human Sciences "As a self-confessed purveyor of 'frequently outrageous views,' Steve Fuller can be relied on for a spirited and provocative text—and so this proves. What is impressive is Fuller's intellectual boldness in weaving together a wealth of sociological, philosophical and historical arguments that aim to reveal for public scrutiny the true nature of science. This volume reveals how difficult and fraught the process of bridge-building will be, but also how rich the rewards will be if science is seen by its practitioners and critics alike as a pursuit that is both wonderful and flawed, both distinctive and ordinary in turn—a mix no less true than of all other areas of human endeavor." —Public Understanding of Science Steve Fuller is professor of sociology and social policy at the University of Durham, UK. 160 pages | 5 5/16 x 8 1/2 | 1998 |
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$22.50 Paper
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