Getting inside science and technology studies

摘要

Science and technology studies (S&TS) is a relatively new field, and one that has been attracting increasing interest, not least because of the ever-growing influence of S&T in the modern world. Within such a broad subject area, the discipline is divided into several more or less distinct 'schools' of thought and practice. Therefore, it is not surprising that S&TS is often misunderstood by those not familiar with its central aims. This book by Sergio Sismondo describes one particular school of the discipline, as it is becoming increasingly practiced. Within this context, S&TS students and practitioners focus their work on building an understanding of the social and cultural meanings of S&T in society. They also develop the skills to participate in policy debates to which they bring a relativistic and deconstructionist approach to the core concepts of their study, as opposed to traditional policy analysis, which largely adopts a straightforward positivistic approach to the subject.