Download or read book EBOOK Science Social Theory Public Knowledge written by Alan Irwin and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 2003-10-16 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How might social theory, public understanding of science and science policy best inform one another? What have been the key features of science-society relations in the modern world? How are we to re-think science-society relations in the context of globalization, hybridity and changing patterns of governance? This topical and unique book draws together the three key perspectives on science-society relations: public understanding of science, scientific and public governance, and social theory. The book presents a series of case studies (including the debates on genetically modified foods and the AIDS movement in the USA) to discuss critically the ways in which social theorists, social scientists, and science policy makers deal with science-society relations. ‘Science' and 'society' combine in many complex ways. Concepts such as citizenship, expertise, governance, democracy and the public need to be re-thought in the context of contemporary concerns with globalization and hybridity. A radical new approach is developed and the notion of ethno-epistemic assemblage is used to articulate a new series of questions for the theorization, empirical study and politics of science-society relations.

Download or read book The Professional Quest for Truth written by Stephan Fuchs and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 1992-07-01 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book argues that the power of science as the most respected and authoritative world view is based on its superior material and organizational resources, not on its superior rationality. Fuchs approaches science as a social construct, and utilizing a theory of scientific organizations, he analyzes knowledge production in scientific fields—how they differ in their resources and how these differences affect how science is conducted. The book explains why certain fields produce science and facts, while others engage in hermeneutics and conversation; why certain specialities change through cumulation rather than fragmentation; and why some fields are relativistic while others are positivist in their self-understanding. This general theory of knowledge is applicable not only to science, but to all varieties of professional groups engaged in knowledge production.

Download or read book Usable Knowledge written by Sterling Professor of Economics and Political Science Charles E Lindblom and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 1979-01-01 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The problem that gives rise to this book is dissatisfaction with social science and social research as instruments of social problem solving. Policy makers and other practical problem solvers frequently voice disappointment with what they are offered. And many social scientists and social researchers think they should be more drawn upon, more useful, and more influential. Out of the discontent have come numerous diagnoses and prescriptions. This thoughtful contribution to the discussion provides an agenda of basic questions that should be asked and answered by those who are concerned about the impact of social science and research on real life problems. In general, Cohen and Lindblom believe that social scientists are crippled by a misunderstanding of their own trade, and they suggest that the tools of their trade be applied to the trade itself. Social scientists do not always fully appreciate that professional social inquiry is only one of several ways of solving a problem. They are also often engaged in a mistaken pursuit of authoritativeness, not recognizing that their contribution can never be more than a partial one. Cohen and Lindblom suggest that they reexamine their criteria for selecting subjects for research, study their tactics as compared to those of policy makers, and consider more carefully their role in relation to other routes to problem solving. To stimulate further inquiry into these fundamental issues, they also provide a comprehensive bibliography.

Download or read book Science and the Sociology of Knowledge RLE Social Theory written by Michael Mulkay and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-07 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How far is scientific knowledge a product of social life? In addressing this question, the major contributors to the sociology of knowledge have agreed that the conclusions of science are dependent on social action only in a very special and limited sense. In Science and the Sociology of Knowledge Michael Mulkay's first aim is to identify the philosophical assumptions which have led to this view of science as special; and to present a systematic critique of the standard philosophical account of science, showing that there are no valid epistemological grounds for excluding scientific knowledge from the scope of sociological analysis. The rest of the book is devoted to developing a preliminary interpretation of the social creation of scientific knowledge. The processes of knowledge-creation are delineated through a close examination of recent case studies of scientific developments. Dr Mulkay argues that knowledge is produced by means of negotiation, the outcome of which depends on the participants' use of social as well as technical resources. The analysis also shows how cultural resources are taken over from the broader social milieu and incorporated into the body of certified knowledge; and how, in the political context of society at large, scientists' technical as well as social claims are conditioned and affected by their social position.

Download or read book Scientific Knowledge and Sociological Theory written by Barry Barnes and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1974.

Download or read book EBOOK Science Technology and Culture written by David Bell and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 2005-11-16 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lifestyle media – books, magazines, websites, radio andtelevision shows that focus on topics such as cookery,gardening, travel and home improvement – have witnessed anexplosion in recent years. Ordinary Lifestyles explores how popular media texts bring ideasabout taste and fashion to consumers, helping audiences tofashion their lifestyles as well as defining what constitutes anappropriate lifestyle for particular social groups. Contemporaryexamples are used throughout, including Martha Stewart, HouseDoctor, What Not to Wear, You Are What You Eat, CountryLiving and brochures for gay and lesbian holiday promotions. The contributors show that watching make-over television orcooking from a celebrity chef’s book are significant culturalpractices, through which we work on our ideas about taste,status and identity. In opening up the complex processes whichshape our taste and forge individual and collective identities,lifestyle media demand our serious attention, as well as ourviewing, reading and listening pleasure. Ordinary Lifestyles is essential reading for students on mediaand cultural studies courses, and for anyone intrigued by theinfluence of the media on our day-to-day lives. Contributors: David Bell, Manchester Metropolitan University; Frances Bonner, University of Queensland, Australia; Steven Brown, Loughborough University; Fan Carter, Kingston University; Stephen Duncombe, Gallatin School of New York University, USA; David Dunn; Johannah Fahey, Monash University, Australia; Elizabeth Bullen, Deakin University, Australia; Jane Kenway, Monash University, Australia; Robert Fish, University of Exeter; Danielle Gallegos, Murdoch University, Australia; Mark Gibson; David B. Goldstein, University of Tulsa, USA; Ruth Holliday, University of Leeds; Joanne Hollows, Nottingham Trent University; Felicity Newman; Tim O’Sullivan, De Montfort University; Elspeth Probyn; Rachel Russell, University of Sydney, Australia; Lisa Taylor; Melissa Tyler; Gregory Woods, Nottingham Trent University.

Download or read book EBOOK Scoping the Social written by Anthony Woodiwiss and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 2005-12-16 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social theory is central to the disciplines of sociology, cultural studies, criminology and media studies. Many students, however, find it difficult to relate theory to their other courses, projects, dissertations and theses, let alone imagine themselves producing theory. In contrast to conventional social theory textbooks that restrict themselves to the description and analysis of theories and what other professionals have said about them, this innovative book shows students how to use, criticise and contribute to the development of theory. Treating theory as a variety of ‘visual work’ that is intimately connected with the process of empirical investigation, and with the help of clear diagrams and carefully chosen quotations, Part 1 provides an exceptionally clear introduction to the different ways of practicing social theory. Part 2 provides a practical example of how to theorise by producing and demonstrating the effectiveness of a new concept of reflexivity in the course of an outline of the history of the development of social theory since 1945. This is important reading for students and researchers in sociology and related fields.

Download or read book The Sociology of Science written by and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 662 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Sociology of Knowledge written by Werner Stark and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-04-03 with total page 574 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume serves as both an introduction to the field of the sociology of knowledge and an interpretation of the thought of the major figures associated with its development More than a compendium of ideas, Stark seeks here to put order into what he regarded as a diffuse tradition of diverse bodies of thought, in particular the seemingly irreconcilable conflict between the study of the political element in thought identified here with Karl Mannheim and the investigation of the social element in thinking associated with the work of Max Scheler. The sociology of knowledge is primarily directed toward the study of the precise ways that human experience, through the mediation of knowledge, takes on a conscious and communicable shape. While both schools dealt with by Stark assume that the pursuit of truth is not purposeful apart from socially and historically determined structures of meaning, the tradition extending from Marx to Mannheim seeks to expose hidden factors that turn us away from the truth while that of Weber and Scheler attempts to identify social forces that impart a definite direction to our search for it In order to reconcile opposing theoretical positions, Stark seeks to lay the foundations for a theory of the social determination of thought by directing his inquiry to the philosophical problem of truth in a manner compatible with cultural sociology. Stark's theoretical legacy to the sociology of knowledge is that social influences operate everywhere through a group's ethos. From this, many systems of ideas and social categories emanate, revealing partial glimpses of a synthetic whole. The outcome of Stark's work is a general theory of social determination remarkably consistent with contemporary interests in the broad range of cultural studies, whose focus is best described as the use of philosophical, literary, and historical approaches to study the social construction of meaning. The Sociology of Knowledge will be of great interest to social scientists, philosophers, and intellectual historians.

Download or read book Sociology of Science written by and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Knowledge and the Social Sciences written by David Goldblatt and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2004-08-02 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Knowledge and the Social Sciences takes as its point of departure the claims that all forms of knowledge, the social sciences included, must be seen and understood in their social context. It argues that the social sciences both describe and transform their object of study, though rarely in ways that social scientists intend, and introduces students to the key epistemological and philosophical terms and issues essential for further study in the social sciences. In a radical and yet lucid and practical introduction to ways of thinking and knowing in the social sciences this text investigates: * the origins and consequences of different types of knowledge in substantive areas of social change: medical practice, religious beliefs, and the environment * whether there is a decline in public trust of expert knowledge systems * whether we are entering a knowledge society, a fragmented post-modern society, or a risk society.

Download or read book Introduction to the Social Sciences RLE Social Theory written by Maurice Duverger and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-09-10 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Professor Duverger at last provides the student with an overall view of the methodology of the social sciences. He briefly traces the origin of the notion of a social science, showing how it emerged from social philosophy. Its essential elements and pre-conditions are described; the splintering of social science into specialist disciplines is explained, and the need for a general sociology confirmed. The techniques of observation used by social scientists are dealt with in some detail and the unity of the social sciences is illustrated by examples of the universal application of these techniques. Documentary evidence in its various forms are described along with the basic analytical techniques, including quantitative methods and content analysis. Other methods of gathering information through polls, interviews, attitude scales and participant observation are all described. Professor Duverger brings together the different kinds of analysis used to assess the information thus gathered. Arguing that observing and theorizing are not two different stages or levels of research, he examines the practical value and difficulties of general sociological theories, partial theories and models and working hypotheses. He both describes and assesses the limitations of experiment and the scope of comparative methods in the social sciences. He then gives elementary instructions for using and assessing the value of mathematical techniques. The possibilities of presenting social phenomena through graphs and charts are also explored. There are useful book lists and diagrams.

Download or read book The Structural Change of Knowledge and the Future of the Social Sciences written by Ronald Pohoryles and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-03-14 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a compendium of pragmatism in the social sciences. While addressing several distinct spheres, it carries a common message: the future of the social sciences depends on a shared understanding of society based on the knowledge of various disciplines and transcending the currently forbidding borders between scientific knowledge and the other forms of knowledge. Looking back at the social science traditions this is nothing new. To ensure a fruitful future for the social sciences a paradigm shift is unavoidable. The consequence of the increase of knowledge in the last two centuries was the specialization of the sciences. The nineteenth century saw the separation of humanities and social sciences; the twentieth century is even characterized by specialization within the disciplines and the occurrence of competing schools of thought. This book tries to overcome the barriers that are built between and within the disciplines, and to counteract the unnecessary barriers created by the emergence of "schools of thoughts" that distrust each other and the social sciences as a whole. This book was originally published as a special issue of Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research.

Download or read book Social Theory as Science Routledge Revivals written by Russell Keat and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2011-01-31 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, written by a philosopher interested in the problems of social science and scientific method, and a sociologist interested in the philosophy of science, presents a novel conception of how we should think about and carry out the scientific study of social life. This book combines an evaluation of different conceptions of the nature of science with an examination of important sociological theorists and frameworks. This second edition of the work was originally published in 1982.

Download or read book EBOOK Social Research written by Tim May and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 2011-03-16 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fully revised and updated popular text successfully bridges the gap between theory and methods in social research, clearly illuminating these essential components for understanding the dynamics of social relations. The book is divided into two parts, with part one examining the issues and perspectives in social research and part two setting out the methods and processes. Updates to this edition include: A new chapter on case study research A new concluding chapter Links to additional websites and IT applications that are integrated throughout the book Updated experiential examples and scenarios More international examples The clear writing style, chapter summaries, questions for reflection and signposts to further readings continue to make this book the ideal companion to social research for students across the social sciences. In addition, it will be recognised as an invaluable source of reference for those practising and teaching social research who wish to keep abreast of key developments in the field. With contributions from Beth Perry (University of Salford) and Carole Sutton (University of Plymouth).

Download or read book Finding your Social Science Project written by John Gerring and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2022-10-13 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most important step in social science research is the first step – finding a topic. Unfortunately, little guidance on this crucial and difficult challenge is available. Methodological studies and courses tend to focus on theory testing rather than theory generation. This book aims to redress that imbalance. The first part of the book offers an overview of the book's central concerns. How do social scientists arrive at ideas for their work? What are the different ways in which a study can contribute to knowledge in a field? The second part of the book offers suggestions about how to think creatively, including general strategies for finding a topic and heuristics for discovery. The third part of the book shows how data exploration may assist in generating theories and hypotheses. The fourth part of the book offers suggestions about how to fashion disparate ideas into a theory.

Download or read book The Knowledge Book written by Steve Fuller and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-11-27 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Knowledge Book" is a unique interdisciplinary reference work for students and researchers concerned with the nature of knowledge. It is the first work of its kind to be organized on the assumption that whatever else knowledge might be, it is intrinsically social. The book consists of 42 alphabetically arranged entries on key concepts at the intersection of philosophy and sociology - what used to be called "sociology of knowledge" but is now increasingly called "social epistemology". The entries include concepts common to disciplines that in recent years have devoted more of their attention to knowledge: cultural studies, communication studies, information science, education, policy studies and business studies. Special attention is given to concepts from the emerging field of science and technology studies. Each entry presents a short, self-contained essay providing an overview of a concept and concludes with suggestions for further reading. All the entries are fully cross-referenced, allowing readers to both make connections and follow their own interests.