Science as Social Knowledge
eBook - PDF

Science as Social Knowledge

Values and Objectivity in Scientific Inquiry

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Science as Social Knowledge

Values and Objectivity in Scientific Inquiry

About this book

Conventional wisdom has it that the sciences, properly pursued, constitute a pure, value-free method of obtaining knowledge about the natural world. In light of the social and normative dimensions of many scientific debates, Helen Longino finds that general accounts of scientific methodology cannot support this common belief. Focusing on the notion of evidence, the author argues that a methodology powerful enough to account for theories of any scope and depth is incapable of ruling out the influence of social and cultural values in the very structuring of knowledge. The objectivity of scientific inquiry can nevertheless be maintained, she proposes, by understanding scientific inquiry as a social rather than an individual process. Seeking to open a dialogue between methodologists and social critics of the sciences, Longino develops this concept of "contextual empiricism" in an analysis of research programs that have drawn criticism from feminists. Examining theories of human evolution and of prenatal hormonal determination of "gender-role" behavior, of sex differences in cognition, and of sexual orientation, the author shows how assumptions laden with social values affect the description, presentation, and interpretation of data. In particular, Longino argues that research on the hormonal basis of "sex-differentiated behavior" involves assumptions not only about gender relations but also about human action and agency. She concludes with a discussion of the relation between science, values, and ideology, based on the work of Habermas, Foucault, Keller, and Haraway.

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Yes, you can access Science as Social Knowledge by Helen E. Longino in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Philosophy & Epistemology in Philosophy. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Methodology, 
Goals, 
and 
Practices 
— 
37 
particular 
research 
program 
may 
serve 
to 
disqualify 
it 
as 
a 
source 
of 
unvarnished 
truth 
about 
its 
subject 
matter, 
such 
demonstration 
may 
have 
little 
bearing 
on 
one's 
assessment 
of 
it 
as 
an 
example 
of 
scientific 
inquiry. 
This 
suggestion, 
however, 
anticipates 
the 
arguments 
of 
the 
next 
several 
chapters. 
In 
these 
I 
analyze 
several 
key 
features 
of 
the 
in-
tellectual 
practices 
constituting 
inquiry. 
The 
account 
of 
scientific 
knowledge 
emerging 
from 
this 
analysis 
has 
points 
of 
convergence 
with 
both 
the 
empiricist 
and 
the 
wholist 
view. 
My 
aims 
are 
to 
show 
both 
how 
social 
and 
cultural 
values 
play 
a 
role 
in 
scientific 
inquiry 
and 
how 
broadening 
our 
conception 
of 
that 
inquiry 
from 
an 
individual 
to 
a 
so-
cial 
activity 
enables 
us 
to 
see 
that 
the 
sciences 
are 
not, 
nevertheless, 
hopelessly 
subjective. 

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Half-title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Preface
  8. Chapter One. Introduction: Good Science, Bad Science
  9. Chapter Two. Methodology, Goals, and Practices
  10. Chapter Three. Evidence and Hypothesis
  11. Chapter Four. Values and Objectivity
  12. Chapter Five. Values and Science
  13. Chapter Six. Research on Sex Differences
  14. Chapter Seven. Explanatory Models in the Biology of Behavior
  15. Chapter Eight. Science in Society
  16. Chapter Nine. Science and Ideology
  17. Chapter Ten. Conclusion: Social Knowledge
  18. Works Consulted
  19. Index