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A fresh look at instrumentation - an introduction
[collection article]
Abstract The theme of "instrumentation between science, state and industry" does not square well with the venerable discourse which opposes "science" and "technology" in social studies of science. In this discourse, "technology" stands for the contrary of "science"; it represents the practical uses of scienc... view more
The theme of "instrumentation between science, state and industry" does not square well with the venerable discourse which opposes "science" and "technology" in social studies of science. In this discourse, "technology" stands for the contrary of "science"; it represents the practical uses of science in society at large and is understood as separate from the somehow autonomous sphere of "science" (Layton 1971a). This vocabulary, widespread as it may be, is not very useful for our purposes, and, for that matter, for any inquiry into the role of instruments. Technology, in the sense of technical instruments and the knowledge systems that go with them, pervades all societal systems. There are technologies of science, of industry, of state, and so forth, and it would be ill-advised to assume that, in the end, they all flow out of "science." But even if the crude opposition of science and technology has little analytic value, the dual problem remains: how to effectively conceive the dynamic relationship between scientific spheres and other societal spheres, and how to conceive the role that technological matters play in this relationship.... view less
Keywords
research; engineering; science; history of science; technology
Classification
Social History, Historical Social Research
Sociology of Science, Sociology of Technology, Research on Science and Technology
Free Keywords
research technology; scientific communication; instrumentation; generic instruments
Collection Title
Instrumentation between Science, State and Industry
Editor
Joerges, Bernward; Shinn, Terry
Document language
English
Publication Year
2001
Publisher
Springer
City
Dordrecht
Page/Pages
p. 1-13
Series
Sociology of the Sciences, 22
ISBN
978-94-010-9032-2
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed