When things strike back: a possible contribution of 'science studies' to the social sciences

Abstract

The contribution of the field of science and technology studies (STS) to mainstream sociology has been minimal because of a misunderstanding about what it means to provide a social explanation of a piece of science or of an artefact. Here, the challenge raised by STS to the usual epistemologies that social sciences believe necessary for their undertakings are considered. The social sciences imitate the natural sciences in a way that renders them unable to profit from the type of objectivity found in the natural sciences. It is argued that, once the meanings of 'social' and of 'science' are reconfigured, the definition of what a 'social science' is and what it can do in the political arena can be considered. It is emphasized that it is not by imitating the ideas of the philosophers of science about what is a natural science that sociology can be made politically relevant. 52 References. Adapted from the source document.