An Interpretation Of Edinburgh School In Sociology Of Scientific Knowledge

Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK) was founded in 1960'. It affected the whole world rapidly since its birth for its radical scientific theoretical frame. Although SSK derived into different schools that hold different views, they stand on a common standpoint, that the content of scientific knowledge is not based on the description of nature, but on the social formation. So SSK is also called "Social Deconstructionalism". Edinburgh school is the most mature and representative school in all SSK schools. This article aims to explain the theory of Edinburgh school.The article is composed of three parts. The first part is to demonstrate historical condition of the forming of SSK: Traditional sociology of knowledge and Merton's school are the ideological resource of SSK; Kuhn's Relativism is the theoretic resource; The establishment of hegemonic status of science after Second World War, the prevailing of the "Counter-cultural Movement" are social backgrounds of the formation of SSK.The second part is to analyze the main viewpoints of Edinburgh school. The emphasis is put on the basic theory of "Strong Programme", including basic doctrine of Causality, Justification, Notarizing, Reflexivity; the experimental analysis of "Interests Theory"; the essence of concept and the application of "Sociological Finitism".The third part is a criticism of Edinburgh school. First of all, it points out weak points of the theory, including the clear-cut boundary between ration and irrational, correct knowledge and incorrect knowledge, science and superstition, science and pseudo-science. "Interests Theory" is an asymmetrical term, which is controversial to itself. "Sociological Finitism" is a contextual relativism that is full of logical conflicts itself. Secondly, the article explains instructive meaning rose in the research work of Edinburgh school. The article ends with a rational consideration of the future of "Sociology of Scientific Knowledge".