A Study Of Edinburgh School’s Sociology Of Scientific Knowledge

In 1970s, Edinburgh school which Samarkand in British interprets radically Thomas. Kuhn’s new view of science and the later Ludwig. Wittgenstein’s thoughts, at the same time, it and post-modernism require opinioned support from each other, opposites strongly traditional view of science which is rationalism and objectivism, and advocates a sort of sociology of scientific knowledge which is relativism. Edinburgh school puts a high premium on using sociological paradigm to study the nature of scientific knowledge, and proposes to put scientists under society setting to explore issue of production of scientific knowledge, and then to reveal the nature of scientific knowledge.At the beginning of the view of collect conventional knowledge, Edinburgh school sets forth fully its sociology of scientific knowledge. This doctrine includes three theory pillars, they are "strong programme", "theory of interests" and "finitism", these theories have a sort of logical relation, they support jointly theory edifice of the sociology of scientific knowledge. Encircling the theses of social constructionism of scientific knowledge, "strong programme" which has characteristics of relativism epistemology and empiricism methodology provides some specific demands; "theory of interests" provides an specific explanation for the sociology of scientific knowledge, it resolves imputation problem of scientific knowledge; "finitism" provides profound philosophy demonstration for "strong programme",it not only expands but also deepens contents of "strong programme".When Edinburgh school puts forwards its theories, it provokes immediately wide critics which are from all sides, not only philosophers, scientists and socialists’critic fiercely the sociology of scientific knowledge, but other schools in the camp of the sociology of scientific knowledge also charge forcefully the theories. Faced all sorts of condemnations, Edinburgh school provides unmoved defenses for its theories.After Edinburgh school, other schools of sociology of scientific knowledge grow, for example, Bath School and Paris School, etc. These schools develop respectively their own study programme.Compared Edinburgh School with these schools and find their commons and differences can help us acquire deeply grasps for the theoretical commitments and theoretical opinions of Edinburgh school.Edinburgh school makes two main theories contributes. On the one hand, it highlights the roles of social factors for the form of scientific knowledge; on the other hand, it makes empiricism methodology be taked more seriously by the peoples which gives us many inspires. Its justification is successful in some aspects; however, because that its theory is on limitations of extreme relativism, and its methodology disregards its epistemology, Edinburgh school is hard to avoid get in inseparable predicament. Besides, because it substitutes society for nature and uses society explain scientific knowledge, in essence, it adopts representative describe which is not different from traditional view of science,merely,in traditional philosophy, scientific knowledge is describe for nature, whereas in Edinburgh school, scientific knowledge is image of society. But their knowledge conception are the same, they both regard scientific knowledge as representation of object. Moreover, Edinburgh school’s sociology of scientific knowledge has other difficulties:it does not describe the course that society effects scientific knowledge; it does not think over the problem of the degree of social constructions; and it does not make distinction between the difference scientific knowledge, but generalizes the opinion of social constructivism, and makes social constructivism applied to all types of scientific knowledge.Edinburgh school’s sociology of scientific knowledge can’t settle the entire problems. If we try to get an all-around and deeply understanding of scientific knowledge, we should maintain necessary tension between subject and subject or school and school. Exploration of the nature of scientific knowledge needs collective efforts of different subjects or schools and more and more co-operations.