Toward a Philosophy of Science Accounting
A Critical Rendering of Instrumental Rationality
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4516336 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Fuller (0000-0002-2190-6552, corresponding author), Steve Fuller |
| Year | 1994 |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 591-621 |
| Publication date | 1994-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Science in Context (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0269-8897 • E-ISSN: 1474-0664 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0269889700001836 |
| OpenAlex | W2118638888 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 25 |
The ArgumentI argue that "social epistemology" can be usefully reformulated as a philosophy of science accounting, specifically one that fosters a critical form of instrumental rationality. I begin by observing that philosophical and sociological species of "science accountancy" can be compared along two dimensions; constructive versus deconstve; reflexive versus unreflexive. The social epistemologist proposes a constructive and reflixive accounting for science. This possibility has been obscured, probably because of the persuasiveness of the Frankfulrt School's portrayal of "critical" and "instrumental" rationalities as polar opposites. In challenging this polarity, I present four "acciybtability conditions" that define pure critico-instrumental rationality. These conditions are most likely to be met during a period of"crisis" in the future direction of science. The bulk of the paper concerns case study of such a crisis that enables us to examine contrasting ways of meeting the four conditions. Ernst Mach and Max Planck debated"the end of science" in the first decade of this century, a time marked by both science's increasing involvement in the means of social reproduction and prowing concern that science pursued for its own sake was exhibiting diminishing margianl returns on investment. In analyzing Planck's victory, I conclude that its tegacy has been an ever-widenig gap between the"content" and"function" of scientific knowledge in society, as measured by the increasing numbers of jobs that are devoted to mediating the production and distribution of knowledge
Constructive · Epistemology · Instrumentalism · Philosophy of science · Philosophy of social science · Rationality · Reflexivity · Social philosophy · Social relation · Social science · Sociology · Computer Science · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Philosophy, Science, and History
Education and society in modern Europe
Human problem solving
The Manufacture of Knowledge
Science as Practice and Culture
Science as a Process
Sour Grapes
Darwin and the Emergence of Evolutionary Theories of Mind and Behavior
From Max Weber
The Differentiation of Society
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
The Essential Tension
Education and Society in Modern Europe
Knowledge and Reflexivity
The Coming Crisis of Western Sociology
"Max Weber's "Science as a Vocation
Max Weber's 'Science as a Vocation
Secondary School Reform in Imperial Germany
Situated Learning
The Coming Crisis in Western Sociology
Spectacles and Predicaments
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,16 |
| Citation span | 1995 - 2023 (29) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |