Knowledge as Social Order

This volume brings together leading international scholars to explore the relationship between social order and legitimate knowledge.The contributors include, Martin Kusch, Steven Loyal, Mark Haugaard, David Bloor, Trevor Pinch, John Dupre, Donald MacKenzie, Harry Collins, Steven Shapin and Karin Knorr Cetina, who share the view that social order and knowledge are mutually constitutive. This theme was first pioneered by Barry Barnes in the early 1970s and this book is intended as a tribute to his seminal role in the development of the discipline of science and technology studies (STS).The contributors include their most current research, highlighting the way in which Barnes' work has shaped their way of conceptualizing the basic relation between knowledge and society. In doing this they explore the original sociological underpinnings of STS while pointing to the way in which Barnes's interdisciplinary work has been developed to tackle current concerns in the field as well as in social theory.The volume also addresses the concerns of social scientists who are investigating the nature of power and agency, and the problem of social order, emphasizing the essential role played by scientific knowledge and technological machinery in the construction of social life.