Social Institution And Scientific Knowledge

The Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK for short), represented by David Bloor, has the view that the social factors is the key of the production of science knowledge, the science is not necessity and objectivity and the convention and relativity is the characters of science. David Bloor's thought of SSK have extensive and important influence in the international field of sociology of science, philosophy of science and history of science. The purpose of this article is to analysis and evaluate the thinking of SSK of Bloor with the perspective of the relationship between social institution and scientific knowledge which is the core study of SSK.This paper is divided into introduction and text. The introduction describes significance of studing Bloor's thought of SSK and the current situtation of the project at home and abroad. Although studing Bloor's thought of SSK has important theoretical significance and realistic significance to studing sociology of science, philosophy of science, history of science, and western philosophy, we lack of research on Bloor in range and quality at home.The text is divided into three chapters. Chapter one which considers methodology of Bloor dicusses the concepts of social institution and knowledge and the research programs of strong program and finitism.Chapter two presents Bloor's thought of SSK. On the base of dissecting the relationship between the scientific discovery and social institution, the relationship between the scientific theory and social institution, the relationship between mathematics, logic and social institution, Bloor considers that the discovery of science is not entirely determined by the scientific rationality, the methods and principles of science is not inevitable, and the reason of scientific discovery is some social factors. The determined factor of the scientific theory is not the experience which is of quantitative and the previous faith is of variable, so the force of the static experience and the variable faith determine the final form of the scientific knowledge. The social factors, not the experience of nature, determine the choice and discovery of scientific theory. Significance of figures, algorithms, mathematical proof, geometric axioms and logical rules, are not inevitable, and that are not the present of innate ideas, all of that are derived form experience, the inventions of that is utility and convenience on the particular social conditions.Chapter three briefly evaluates the nature of SSK, methodology and conclusion of Bloor. SSK, to be precise, is philosophy in terms of its ideological sources and research programs and content, no matter that the SSK has the word of"sociology". The way of Bloor's study is naturalistic empiricism which is a promising method and an example of the methodology of professor Zheng-huizi's"space-time completeness". Compared with the others subjects, although the origin and the specific forms of evolution of the science are indeed affected by social environment, the science is empirical, accurate, predictable and verifiable discipline. The purpose of science is to find the scientific certainty, rather than clarify the meaning of one term or the meaning of things. The meaning of scientific knowledge is interpreted in different social culture, but the scientific knowledge is certainty and truth with some preconditions.