Chapter 1 The strong programme in the sociology of knowledge
- enquiry: inquiry: a seeking or request for truth, information, or knowledge.
They voluntarily limit the scope of their won enquiries. I shall argue that this is a betrayal of their disciplinary standpoint. All knowledge, whether it be in the empirical sciences or even in mathematics, should be treated, through and through, as material for investigation. Such limitation as do exist for the sociologist consist in handing over material to allied sciences like psychology or in depending on the researches of specialists in other disciplines. There are no limitations which lie in the absolute or transcendent character of scientific knowledge itself, or in the special nature of rationality, validity, much or objectivity.
It might be expected that the natural tendency of a discipline such as the sociology of knowledge would be to expand and generalize itself: moving from studies of primitive cosmologists to that of our own culture. This is precisely the step that sociologists have been reluctant to take. Again, the sociology of knowledge might well have pressed more strongly into the area currently occupied by philosophers, who have been allowed to take upon themselves the task of defining the nature of knowledge. In fact sociologists have been only too eager to limit their concern with science to its institutional framework and external factors relating to its rate of growth or direction. This leaves untouched the nature of the knowledge thus created. Cross reference
Ben-David (1971)
DeGre (1967)
Merton (1964)
Stark (1958)
What is the cause for this hesitation and pessimism? Is it the enormous intellectual and practical difficulties which would attend such a programme?
(p. 4 of Bloor 1991)
The cause of the hesitation to bring science within the scope of a thorough-going sociological scrutiny is lack of nerve and will.
It will be the purpose of this book to combat these arguments and inhibitions. For this reason the discussions which follow will sometimes, though not always, have to be methodological rather than substantive. But I hope they will be positive in their effect. Their aim is to put weapons in the hands of those engaged in constructive work to help them attack critics, doubters and skeptics.
(p. 5 of Bloor 1991)
The Strong Programme
The sociologist is concerned with knowledge, including scientific knowledge, purely as a natural phenomenon.If these theories are to satisfy the requirement of maximum generality they will have to apply to both true and false beliefs, and as far as possible the same type of explanation will have to apply in both cases. The aim of physiology is to explain the roganism in health and disease, the aim of mechanics is to understand machines which work and machines which fail, bridges which stand as well as those which fall. Similarly the sociologist seek theories which explain the beliefs which are in fact found, regardless of how the investigator evaluate them.
(p. 157)
Chapter 8 Conclusion: Where do we stand?
The categories of philosophical thought form an intellectual landscape. Its great landmarks are truth, objectivity, relativism, idealism, materialism, and so forth. I shall conclude by taking my bearings with respect to some of these landmarks and re-affirm which ones identify the position that I have advocated.
(p. 163)
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