Cognitive Culture: The Knowledge Society Of The Laboratory Study

Knorr-Cetina is one representative of the lab research of the sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK). In recent years, the development of lab research is Knorr-Cetina's the Theory of Epistemic Cultures. Being a notable symbol of constructive diversion in lab research, Epistemic Cultures causes continuous echo in academic field. My dissertation is a research on Knorr's Theory of Epistemic Cultures, and mainly focuses on four issues:Fisrtly, I investigate contemporary scientific laboratory in the view of SSK and cultural anthropology, and pay close attention to constructive cultural diversion in lab research. Recently the development of lab research of SSK is mainly the investigation on the scientific epistemic and production of scientific knowledge in the view of the culture. Among them Knorr's lab research on high energy physics and molecular biology, two forward science, is the representative. Knorr holds that the cultures of the labs reconfigurate and change the natural and social orders.Secendly, I expound the Theory of Epistemic Cultures in the view of knowledge sociology and cultural anthropology. Knorr holds that, it is more practical and reasonable to substitute a constructive epistemic cultural explanation for a previous constructivism of scientific knowledge one. Epistemic Cultures originate from the reconfiguration of natural order in the lab, and is gradually formed in the reconfiguration of social order. Every science has its own characteristic epistemic cuture. Epistemic culture in high energy physics shows a self-caring and problem-explanating culture; epistemic culture in molecular biology shows a experiential selection of the experimental proposals, and is a problem-solving culture.Thirdly, I investigate the relationship between contemporary knowledge society and its culture- epistemic cultures in the view of knowledge sociology. The constructive significance of epistemic culture shows its cultural integrative function of knowledge society. A unimpaired knowledge society should pay close attention to knowledge culture, scientific epistemic activity and its epistemic culture in the more view.Fourthly, I consider two points about the epistemic cultures. In one point, I think about the "narcissism" of the epistemic cultures, and further expound the constructive significance; in another point, I contrast Knorr's ethnology with Sharon Traweeks'. Both of them had the anthropological investigation of the high energy physics. However, their investigation have the basic demarcation between epistemic and non-epistemic.