Cultural Boundaries of Science: Credibility on the Line
| AUTHOR | Gieryn, Thomas F. |
| PUBLISHER | University of Chicago Press (01/15/1999) |
| PRODUCT TYPE | Paperback (Paperback) |
Description
Why is science so credible? Usual answers center on scientists' objective methods or their powerful instruments. In his new book, Thomas Gieryn argues that a better explanation for the cultural authority of science lies downstream, when scientific claims leave laboratories and enter courtrooms, boardrooms, and living rooms. On such occasions, we use "maps" to decide who to believe-cultural maps demarcating "science" from pseudoscience, ideology, faith, or nonsense. Gieryn looks at episodes of boundary-work: Was phrenology good science? How about cold fusion? Is social science really scientific? Is organic farming? After centuries of disputes like these, Gieryn finds no stable criteria that absolutely distinguish science from non-science. Science remains a pliable cultural space, flexibly reshaped to claim credibility for some beliefs while denying it to others. In a timely epilogue, Gieryn finds this same controversy at the heart of the raging "science wars."
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Product Format
Product Details
ISBN-13:
9780226292625
ISBN-10:
0226292622
Binding:
Paperback or Softback (Trade Paperback (Us))
Content Language:
English
Edition Number:
0002
More Product Details
Page Count:
412
Carton Quantity:
18
Product Dimensions:
6.04 x 1.01 x 8.97 inches
Weight:
1.25 pound(s)
Feature Codes:
Bibliography,
Index,
Maps,
Illustrated
Country of Origin:
US
Subject Information
BISAC Categories
Science | Philosophy & Social Aspects
Dewey Decimal:
303.483
Library of Congress Control Number:
98-20394
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
publisher marketing
Why is science so credible? Usual answers center on scientists' objective methods or their powerful instruments. In his new book, Thomas Gieryn argues that a better explanation for the cultural authority of science lies downstream, when scientific claims leave laboratories and enter courtrooms, boardrooms, and living rooms. On such occasions, we use "maps" to decide who to believe-cultural maps demarcating "science" from pseudoscience, ideology, faith, or nonsense. Gieryn looks at episodes of boundary-work: Was phrenology good science? How about cold fusion? Is social science really scientific? Is organic farming? After centuries of disputes like these, Gieryn finds no stable criteria that absolutely distinguish science from non-science. Science remains a pliable cultural space, flexibly reshaped to claim credibility for some beliefs while denying it to others. In a timely epilogue, Gieryn finds this same controversy at the heart of the raging "science wars."
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Author:
Gieryn, Thomas F.
Thomas F. Gieryn is professor of sociology at Indiana University. He is the editor of three books, most recently of "Theories of Science in Society,"
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List Price $44.00
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$43.56