A pioneer and major thinker in the sociology of science, Joseph Ben-David wrote with refreshing directness on questions central to the history and sociology of science. As they are combined here, Ben-David's essays reveal the richness and synthetic power of his intellect in a way his separate publications never did.
Two themes form the heart of Ben-David's ground-breaking work: the emergence, existence, and growth of science as a distinctive activity within society, governed by a specific "scientific ethos"; and the social construction both of new objects of scientific study and of new scientific disciplines. Ben-David argues that only where the scientist's social role is institutionalized (i.e., recognized as legitimate by society at large), can science as a sustained and continuous activity exist and thrive. By the same token, new scientific objects and disciplines emerge where social circumstances encourage and sustain new ("hybridized") social roles. Ben-David's is a distinctly historical sociology of science, providing a theoretical framework capable of integrating both the historical and the synchronic approaches; it is also complementary to the perspective of the sociology of scientific knowledge.
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.