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A systematic account of the importance of sociology for the
understanding of scientific knowledge. Applying sociological
analysis to specific historical case studies, the work attempts to
show how the sociological approach is an essential complement to
interpretations of scientific knowledge from other disciplines, and
a necessary contribution to obtaining a scientific understanding of
science. This book should be of interest to students in the social
sciences and the history and philosophy of science, and to
academics interested in knowledge, epistemology, the history of
ideas and the "new" sociology of science.
Author Biography: David Bloor is the Director of the Science Studies Unit at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of Wittgenstein: A Social Theory of Knowledge and Knowledge and Social Imagery, and co-author of Scientific Knowledge.
An evaluation of Wittgenstein's account of rules and rule-following
which brings together a combination of philosophical and
sociological viewpoints. Wittgenstein claimed that the way we
follow rules is an "institution" without ever explaining what he
meant by this term. Wittgenstein's contribution to the debate has
since been subject to opposed interpretations by "collectivist" and
"individualist" readings by philosophers; in the light of this
controversy, Bloor argues for a collectivist, sociological
understanding of Wittgenstein's later work.
Fully revised and expanded, this second edition of A. Blythe's
successful title on electrical properties of polymers covers both
the fundamental and recent developments in this growing area. This
book provides a broad and comprehensive account on the topic,
describing underlying physical principles and synthesis through to
emerging technologies. The new edition provides particular emphasis
to the new generation of conductive polymers. Emerging uses of
polymers in industrial applications are described and cover topics
such as light-emitting diodes, flexible polymers and soft
electronics. Written in an accessible style, without complicated
theory, this book combines key concepts with applications. With the
inclusion of further reading material provided at the end of each
chapter for interested readers, this book is an authoritative guide
to advanced-level undergraduates and graduates studying polymer,
materials and physical sciences. It will also be of significant
interest to researchers working in this evolving field.
The first edition of this book profoundly challenged and divided
students of philosophy, sociology, and the history of science when
it was published in 1976. In this second edition, Bloor responds in
a substantial new Afterword to the heated debates engendered by his
book.
Why do aircraft fly? How do their wings support them? In the early
years of aviation, there was an intense dispute between British and
German experts over the question of why and how an aircraft wing
provides lift. The British, under the leadership of the great
Cambridge mathematical physicist Lord Rayleigh, produced highly
elaborate investigations of the nature of discontinuous flow, while
the Germans, following Ludwig Prandtl in Gottingen, relied on the
tradition called "technical mechanics" to explain the flow of air
around a wing. Much of the basis of modern aerodynamics emerged
from this remarkable episode, yet it has never been subject to a
detailed historical and sociological analysis. In "The Enigma of
the Aerofoil", David Bloor probes a neglected aspect of this
important period in the history of aviation. Bloor draws upon
papers by the participants - their restricted technical reports,
meeting minutes, and personal correspondence, much of which has
never before been published - and reveals the impact that the
divergent mathematical traditions of Cambridge and Gottingen had on
this great debate. Bloor also addresses why the British, even after
discovering the failings of their own theory, remained resistant to
the German circulation theory for more than a decade. The result is
essential reading for anyone studying the history, philosophy, or
sociology of science or technology - and for all those intrigued by
flight.
Why do aircraft fly? How do their wings support them? In the early
years of aviation, there was an intense dispute between British and
German experts over the question of why and how an aircraft wing
provides lift. The British, under the leadership of the great
Cambridge mathematical physicist Lord Rayleigh, produced highly
elaborate investigations of the nature of discontinuous flow, while
the Germans, following Ludwig Prandtl in Gottingen, relied on the
tradition called "technical mechanics" to explain the flow of air
around a wing. Much of the basis of modern aerodynamics emerged
from this remarkable episode, yet it has never been subject to a
detailed historical and sociological analysis. In "The Enigma of
the Aerofoil", David Bloor probes a neglected aspect of this
important period in the history of aviation. Bloor draws upon
papers by the participants - their restricted technical reports,
meeting minutes, and personal correspondence, much of which has
never before been published - and reveals the impact that the
divergent mathematical traditions of Cambridge and Gottingen had on
this great debate. Bloor also addresses why the British, even after
discovering the failings of their own theory, remained resistant to
the German circulation theory for more than a decade. The result is
essential reading for anyone studying the history, philosophy, or
sociology of science or technology - and for all those intrigued by
flight.
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.
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