Showing papers by "Susan Leigh Star published in 1989"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a model of how one group of actors managed the tension between divergent viewpoints and the need for generalizable findings in scientific work, and distinguish four types of boundary objects: repositories, ideal types, coincident boundaries and standardized forms.
Abstract: Scientific work is heterogeneous, requiring many different actors and viewpoints. It also requires cooperation. The two create tension between divergent viewpoints and the need for generalizable findings. We present a model of how one group of actors managed this tension. It draws on the work of amateurs, professionals, administrators and others connected to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley, during its early years. Extending the Latour-Callon model of interessement, two major activities are central for translating between viewpoints: standardization of methods, and the development of `boundary objects'. Boundary objects are both adaptable to different viewpoints and robust enough to maintain identity across them. We distinguish four types of boundary objects: repositories, ideal types, coincident boundaries and standardized forms.
7,634 citations
01 Dec 1989
TL;DR: The paper argues that the development of distributed artificial intelligence should be based on a social metaphor, rather than a psychological one, and the Turing Test should be replaced by the Durkheim Test, that is, systems should be tested with respect to their ability to meet community goals.
Abstract: The paper argues that the development of distributed artificial intelligence should be based on a social metaphor, rather than a psychological one. The Turing Test should be replaced by the “Durkheim Test,” that is, systems should be tested with respect to their ability to meet community goals. Understanding community goals means analyzing the problem of due process in open systems. Due process means incorporating differing viewpoints for decision-making in a fair and flexible manner. It is the analog of the frame problem in artificial intelligence. From analyses of organizational problem solving in scientific communities, the paper derives the concept of boundary objects, and suggests that this concept would be an appropriate data structure for distributed artificial intelligence. Boundary objects are those objects that are plastic enough to be adaptable across multiple viewpoints, yet maintain continuity of identity. Four types of boundary object are identified: repositories, ideal types, terrain with coincident boundaries, and forms.
1,406 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1989
TL;DR: The legacy of localizationism as discussed by the authors has been studied extensively in the field of neuroscience, including: 1. Studying scientific work 2. The institutional contexts of localization research 3. Uncertainty clinical and basic research 4. Triangulating clinical and Basic research 5. The debate about cerebral localization 6. The mind/brain problem: parallelism and localization 7.
Abstract: Acknowledgments Preface 1. Studying scientific work 2. The institutional contexts of localization research 3. Uncertainty clinical and basic research 4. Triangulating clinical and basic research 5. The debate about cerebral localization 6. The mind/brain problem: parallelism and localization 7. The legacy of localizationism Appendices Notes Indexes.
269 citations