Assessment Collins Scientific Controversies

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, it shows that scientific knowledge can, and have already display the scientific knowledge a result of artificial manufacturing, it is concerted by scientific controversy . So SSK is also called "Social Constructionalism".Professor Collins (H. M. Collins) from the British university of Bath is one of main representative persons in the research of scientific controversy, He gave a macro analysis of the scientific knowledge, and also did lots of micro- research on scientific experiments. Putting forward a series of concepts: Native Competence , tacit knowledge, the core set , exploring the real function of replication in scientific experiments introducing the Empirical Programe of Relativism, which promote a deep study in scientific knowledge. Firstly, the author introduces some basic standpoints concerning scientific knowledge of Collins as background knowledge, then shows the Empirical Programe of Relativism in detail by the example of exploring gravitation wave, which displayed the important function of controversy in the creation of scientific knowledge. Finally the author evaluated Collins' research of scientific controversy, and primarily analyzes its theoretical meaning and practical meaning.