{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/45010"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/45010","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Science as practice: a methodological critique and case study","abstract":"In this thesis, I attempt to develop the rudiments of a ’practice’ conception of scientific knowledge and activities as the basis for a suitable methodology for Science and Technology Studies. In order to do this, I examine the methodologies proposed by two sociologists who can be very broadly construed to be working within the tradition of the \"Sociology of Scientific Knowledge’, Harry Collins and Steve Woolgar in the context of their application to a specific case, and attempt to develop an alternative conception by contrast. The thesis is structured as follows. I begin by describing Collins’ and Woolgar’s methodologies for the analysis of scientific knowledge development in some detail in Chapter One. In Chapter Two, I examine the application of these methodologies to the ’computer models of scientific discovery’ case (the case is of some interest because it is held to ’refute’ the possibility of the sort of analysis of scientific activities that Collins and Woolgar propose). I then use the material of the first two Chapters in Chapter Three to diagnose the shortcomings of Collins’ and Woolgar’s methodologies as illustrated by their application to the computer models of discovery case. This sets the stage for an alternative analysis of the computer models case which does not suffer from these shortcomings in Chapter Four. Finally, I develop a practice-based conception of scientific knowledge development in Chapter Five (which I derive from the material of Chapters One through Four), contrast it with the methodologies of Collins and Woolgar, and use it to illustrate and evaluate my alternative analysis.","abstract_html":"In this thesis, I attempt to develop the rudiments of a ’practice’ conception of scientific knowledge and activities as the basis for a suitable methodology for Science and Technology Studies. In order to do this, I examine the methodologies proposed by two sociologists who can be very broadly construed to be working within the tradition of the "Sociology of Scientific Knowledge’, Harry Collins and Steve Woolgar in the context of their application to a specific case, and attempt to develop an alternative conception by contrast. The thesis is structured as follows. I begin by describing Collins’ and Woolgar’s methodologies for the analysis of scientific knowledge development in some detail in Chapter One. In Chapter Two, I examine the application of these methodologies to the ’computer models of scientific discovery’ case (the case is of some interest because it is held to ’refute’ the possibility of the sort of analysis of scientific activities that Collins and Woolgar propose). I then use the material of the first two Chapters in Chapter Three to diagnose the shortcomings of Collins’ and Woolgar’s methodologies as illustrated by their application to the computer models of discovery case. This sets the stage for an alternative analysis of the computer models case which does not suffer from these shortcomings in Chapter Four. Finally, I develop a practice-based conception of scientific knowledge development in Chapter Five (which I derive from the material of Chapters One through Four), contrast it with the methodologies of Collins and Woolgar, and use it to illustrate and evaluate my alternative analysis.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Chaudhuri, Ranjan"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Science and Technology Studies","degree_department":"Science and Technology Studies","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Fuller, Steven W."],"committee_members":["Barker, Peter","Fuhrman, Ellsworth R."],"year":1992,"date_issued":"1992-05-05","date_published":"1992-05-05","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:03Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-10062009-020105"],"render_values":[{"text":"etd-10062009-020105","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/45010","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Fuller, Steven W."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Barker, Peter","Fuhrman, Ellsworth R."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Science and Technology Studies"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Chaudhuri, Ranjan"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2014-03-14T21:46:54Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-03-14T21:46:54Z","2009-10-06"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["1992-05-05"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.dcmitype","label":"Dc Type Dcmitype","values":["Text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Science and Technology Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-10062009-020105"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/45010"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In this thesis, I attempt to develop the rudiments of a ’practice’ conception of scientific knowledge and activities as the basis for a suitable methodology for Science and Technology Studies. 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I then use the material of the first two Chapters in Chapter Three to diagnose the shortcomings of Collins’ and Woolgar’s methodologies as illustrated by their application to the computer models of discovery case. This sets the stage for an alternative analysis of the computer models case which does not suffer from these shortcomings in Chapter Four. Finally, I develop a practice-based conception of scientific knowledge development in Chapter Five (which I derive from the material of Chapters One through Four), contrast it with the methodologies of Collins and Woolgar, and use it to illustrate and evaluate my alternative analysis."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["BTD"]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Science as practice: a methodological critique and case study"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Fuller, Steven W."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Barker, Peter","Fuhrman, Ellsworth R."],"dc:contributor.department":["Science and Technology Studies"],"dc:creator":["Chaudhuri, Ranjan"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2014-03-14T21:46:54Z"],"dc:date.available":["2014-03-14T21:46:54Z","2009-10-06"],"dc:date.issued":["1992-05-05"],"dc:description.abstract":["In this thesis, I attempt to develop the rudiments of a ’practice’ conception of scientific knowledge and activities as the basis for a suitable methodology for Science and Technology Studies. 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I then use the material of the first two Chapters in Chapter Three to diagnose the shortcomings of Collins’ and Woolgar’s methodologies as illustrated by their application to the computer models of discovery case. This sets the stage for an alternative analysis of the computer models case which does not suffer from these shortcomings in Chapter Four. 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