The world around us has been shaped by science and man’s relationship to it, and in recent years sociologists have been increasingly preoccupied with the latter. In Science in Society, Massimiano Bucchi provides a brief and approachable introduction to this sociological issue.
Without assuming any scientific background, Bucchi provides clear summaries of all the major theoretical positions within the sociology of science, using many fascinating examples to illustrate them. Theories covered include Thomas Kuhn’s theory of scientific change, the sociology of scientific knowledge, actor-network theory, and the social construction of technology.
This highly readable text will be essential reading for all students studying the sociology of science.
Massimiano Bucchi teaches Science Technology and Society at the University of Trento. Among his books, Scientisti e antiscientisti. Perché scienza e società non si capiscono (il Mulino 2010), Beyond Technocracy. Science, Politics and Citizens (Springer 2009) and Handbook of Public Communication of Science and Technology (with B. Trench, New York 2008).