Sociology of Science (PGS Chap. 8) Sociology of Science is divided into 2 different schools...

Sociology of Science (PGS Chap. 8)

Sociology of Science is divided into 2 different schools

1.REGULAR PROGRAM --traditional early sociology

2.STRONG PROGRAM--more recent sociology


Robert Merton (Meyer Schkolnick) 1910-2003 Pennsylvania 1st important sociologist of science

Merton frames science in terms of deviance / norms

REGULAR PROGRAM


Robert Merton

•DEVIANCE—competition for recognition as pioneer

•NORMS—1. community 2. universal truth 3. disinterestedness 4. organized skepticism

REGULAR PROGRAM

Sociology of Science (PGS Chap. 8) Merton

Traditional discussion of social influences on science—Duhem, Popper

•Bad science shows interference of group filters.

•Good science transcends group filters or makes use of group adherence to ideal of objectivityin other words, good science allows INDIVIDUAL SCIENTIST to overcome group 'influences'

REGULAR PROGRAM


Individual’s agenda—Is this Psychology or Sociology?

• Sociology studies GROUP influences & behavior

• Psychology studies INDIVIDUAL motivations and behavior

REGULAR PROGRAM

Sociology of Science (PGS Chap. 8)REGULAR PROGRAM

Why include individual researchers’ agendas under Sociology

1.Soc. of science does not emphasize or recognize role of individual

2.Soc. of science asserts individuals’ agendas arise out of group filters or paradigms• either this correct, or we must contrast

individual agendas to group filters

Sociology of Science (PGS Chap. 8)REGULAR PROGRAM

Why include individual researchers’ agendas under Sociology

3.Big science—according to Longino & others, science today is mostly large projects w/ large teams of scientists• if this is correct individual just means

relatively small group.

4.Individual’s agendas are indeed often dictated by social role or social factors

5.Including individual’s non-social agendas w/ social agendas allows for alternative to strong program. Social factors alone need not be driving a scientist


FEMINIST SCIENCE

1. Paradigms and social filters often reflect either the interests, standpoint, or politics of group

2. Group that has been driving science for thousands of years are dead white men.

STRONG PROGRAM


FEMINIST SCIENCE

3. Scientific constructs are often reflections of interests/standpoint of dead white menExamples

•construct of matter—controllable, lifeless, devoid of value, impenetrable•construct of mechanics (Newtonian)—

invariant, inviolable•cell biology (CR)•sperm as victor, active, hero, victim of vagina•vagina as passive, treacherous, capricious

STRONG PROGRAM

Sociology of Science (PGS Chap. 8)STRONG PROGRAM

POSTMODERNISM•Reconstruct or deconstruct our histories to show power games and new investiture (rewriting history to "uplift" marginalized groups)

•Michel Foucault—Science as controlling mechanism for ruling groups—hospitals originated as place to incarcerate society’s rejects

Sociology of Science (PGS Chap. 8)CRITIQUE OF STRONG PROGRAM

Sokal hoax —MOSTLY a critique of Postmodernism.

Alan Sokal--physicist who wrote and then published non-sense to show silliness of strong program

Article he got published:`Transgressing the Boundaries: Toward a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity,''

in Spring/Summer 1996 issue of Social Text , a post-modern journal.

Sociology of Science (PGS Chap. 8)WORK OF SOCIOLOGY OF SCIENCE—not what we find in our readings

In the slides that follow I outline a USEFUL Sociology of Science, one which is in line more with the NORMAL PROGRAMa way to check for influences and filters that undermine the NORMAL goal of objectivity

Sociology of Science (PGS Chap. 8)WORK OF SOCIOLOGY OF SCIENCE

What is the researcher’s agenda?

• Career investment?—how much time has the researcher spent on this research topic?

examples—

1.Einstein had no career investment—he worked as clerk in patent office

2.Researcher who spent 20 years trying to show correlation between poor areas & Superfund sites

• Mere publication? How useful does busy-work seem—no=brainer, then why do it?



•Response to mentors—negative or positive?—needs some historical background

Examplephilosopher writing today claiming there is no way to do consciousness/Esp research—Why this no brainer?—his 1st Dept. chair was into life-after-death research



• Discovery of a Puzzle?—how big or important is the puzzle?

• Special insight --Creativity, shift in thinkingexamples—

EinsteinComplexity theory



• Relevant different or unusual experience—giving new approach?

examples—

1. lifelong criminal insight into criminal psychology

2.women biologists



• Moral agenda?—religious agenda, some other crusade/affiliation relevant to research?

• Political agenda?—similar to moral agenda, but govt./ pol. party is driving research

• Financial agenda?

Is funding source relevant to his/her goal of research?


Interaction of Community of Scientists

• Funding of field

• currency in larger sci. community

• debate/acceptance of particular research w/in field

• debate/acceptance of particular research w/in larger sci. community

• organizations/publications/conferences/university affilliations


Problem of sociology—cultural relativism --truth is defined by your culture—there is no absolute truth. If truth is not sacrosanct, then what is sociologist up to?He can only study or evaluate w/in his own cultural viewpoint?—Why should his work count?

Sociology of Science (PGS Chap. 8) Sociology of Science is divided into 2 different schools...

Documents

Transcript of Sociology of Science (PGS Chap. 8) Sociology of Science is divided into 2 different schools...