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Changing Order: Replication and Induction in Scientific Practice

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This fascinating study in the sociology of science explores the way scientists conduct, and draw conclusions from, their experiments. The book is organized around three case replication of the TEA-laser, detecting gravitational rotation, and some experiments in the paranormal.

"In his superb book, Collins shows why the quest for certainty is disappointed. He shows that standards of replication are, of course, social, and that there is consequently no outside standard, no Archimedean point beyond society from which we can lever the intellects of our fellows."—Donald M. McCloskey, Journal of Economic Psychology

"Collins is one of the genuine innovators of the sociology of scientific knowledge. . . . Changing Order is a rich and entertaining book."— Isis

"The book gives a vivid sense of the contingent nature of research and is generally a good read."—Augustine Brannigan, Nature

"This provocative book is a review of [Collins's] work, and an attempt to explain how scientists fit experimental results into pictures of the world. . . . A promising start for new explorations of our image of science, too often presented as infallibly authoritative."—Jon Turney, New Scientist

207 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1985

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Harry Collins

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Profile Image for Julio César.
860 reviews2 followers
July 31, 2015
Harry Collins explica minuciosamente cómo el conocimiento científico es aceptado una vez que es legitimado y puesto en lo que Latour llamó "una caja negra", aunque para el inglés tiene más que ver con la distancia que otorga el tiempo. La replicación como paso básico en la construcción del conocimiento científico es más teórica que otra cosa, pues un hecho se acepta más fácilmente si no amenaza con romper ni tensar ninguna parte de las redes en las que están inmersos los científicos.
La edición es excelente, incluye un posfacio y un post-scriptum que insertan al libro en los debates de la sociología de la ciencia de los últimos treinta años.
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