Beyond Hierarchy and Consensus: Bench-Building at the Frontiers of Two Experimental Sciences

• In Event: 209 - Theory Section Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 11. Sociology of Science

Abstract

The existence of a “hierarchy of sciences” has been well documented in the perceptions of both lay and scientific populations. Influenced by the Kuhnian concept of “paradigm development,” quantitative researchers have attempted to locate the source of this hierarchy in measures of cognitive consensus but have achieved mixed results. This article is the first comparative ethnography of a natural science (molecular biology) and a social science (psychology). This article highlights key differences between the fields in their capacity for the development of embodied knowledge and the integration of new technologies. Natural sciences engage in a process of “bench-building” whereby they create and stabilize new forms of manipulation while social sciences have far less opportunity for this type of development.

Author

• David Peterson, Northwestern University