The Sociological Construction of Science without Nature
- 1 November 1994
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Sociology
- Vol. 28 (4) , 957-974
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038594028004010
Abstract
This paper critically examines the constructivist, relativist trend in the sociology of science and exposes its internal contradictions. It concludes that such a sociology has fabricated a science without nature. This has obscured the importance of nature in science, has glossed over the manipulation of nature, and has, therefore, muddled one of the most significant features of the contemporary world. The paper argues in favour of transcending such pre-ecological sociology by incorporating into the analysis the unique learning curve of science, which results in both its utility and its danger, and by explicitly examining the embeddedness of social action in the processes of nature.Keywords
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