Journal Article•
An introduction to science studies : the philosophical and social aspects of science and technology
About: This article is published in Engineering Studies.The article was published on 1984-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 157 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Science studies.
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TL;DR: This paper argues that the central question becomes: who and what is responsible for population patterns of health, disease, and well-being, as manifested in present, past and changing social inequalities in health?
Abstract: In social epidemiology, to speak of theory is simultaneously to speak of society and biology. It is, I will argue, to speak of embodiment. At issue is how we literally incorporate, biologically, the world around us, a world in which we simultaneously are but one biological species among many—and one whose labour and ideas literally have transformed the face of this earth. To conceptualize and elucidate the myriad social and biological processes resulting in embodiment and its manifestation in populations' epidemiological profiles, we need theory. This is because theory helps us structure our ideas, so as to explain causal connections between specified phenomena within and across specified domains by using interrelated sets of ideas whose plausibility can be tested by human action and thought.1–3 Grappling with notions of causation, in turn, raises not only complex philosophical issues but also, in the case of social epidemiology, issues of accountability and agency: simply invoking abstract notions of ‘society’ and disembodied ‘genes’ will not suffice. Instead, the central question becomes: who and what is responsible for population patterns of health, disease, and well-being, as manifested in present, past and changing social inequalities in health?
1,719 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the border crossing into the subculture of science and discuss the effects of science education on the culture of science in the United States, including the following:
Abstract: (1996). Science Education: Border Crossing into the Subculture of Science. Studies in Science Education: Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 1-52.
973 citations
TL;DR: A review of the published literature in English on the concept of scientific literacy can be found in this paper, where the net is cast wider than just the professional science education com- munity and the diverse works on scientific literacy are brought together in an interpretative synthesis of this literature.
Abstract: In this review of the published literature in English on the concept of scientific literacy, the net is cast wider than just the professional science education com- munity, and the diverse works on scientific literacy are brought together in an interpretative synthesis of this literature. Scientific literacy is first placed in an historical context, and a number of different factors that influence interpretations of this concept are discussed thereafter. These factors include the number of different interest groups that are concerned with scientific literacy, different conceptual definitions of the term, the relative or absolute nature of scientific literacy as a concept, different purposes for advocating scientific lit- eracy, and different ways of measuring it. The overview yields a fuller understanding of the various factors that contribute to the concept of scientific literacy, and makes clear the relationships between these factors. 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci. Ed 84:71- 94, 2000.
909 citations
Cites background from "An introduction to science studies ..."
...…of “insiders” [Ziman, 1984, p. 184]), or whether the instrument used to measure scientific literacy is based on what a citizen needs to know (i.e., the viewpoint of “outsiders” [Ziman, 1984, p. 184]) in order to cope effectively in a scienceand technology-based society (Layton et al., 1986)....
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...…whether the design of instruments is based upon whether individuals share the scientist’s view of the natural world (i.e., the viewpoint of “insiders” [Ziman, 1984, p. 184]), or whether the instrument used to measure scientific literacy is based on what a citizen needs to know (i.e., the viewpoint…...
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Book•
01 Aug 2003
TL;DR: The prehistory of science and technology studies can be traced back to the Kuhnian Revolution and the early 20th century as discussed by the authors, with a focus on the social construction of scientific and technical realities.
Abstract: Preface vii 1 The Prehistory of Science and Technology Studies 1 2 The Kuhnian Revolution 12 3 Questioning Functionalism in the Sociology of Science 23 4 Stratification and Discrimination 36 5 The Strong Programme and the Sociology of Knowledge 47 6 The Social Construction of Scientific and Technical Realities 57 7 Feminist Epistemologies of Science 72 8 Actor-Network Theory 81 9 Two Questions Concerning Technology 93 10 Studying Laboratories 106 11 Controversies 120 12 Standardization and Objectivity 136 13 Rhetoric and Discourse 148 14 The Unnaturalness of Science and Technology 157 15 The Public Understanding of Science 168 16 Expertise and Public Participation 180 17 Political Economies of Knowledge 189 References 205 Index 236
536 citations