ABSTRACT
The chapter provides a general exposition of Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK), resisting the temptation immediately to start applying the ideas to economics to any great degree. SSK arose because of the failure of earlier philosophies of science, such as logical positivism and Popperian falsificationism, to provide a rule-based approach for classifying theory as being either scientific or unscientific. SSK originates with the publication of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn. One of the most important extensions of the SSK has been the 'strong programme' of the Edinburgh School, which strongly asserts that all scientific knowledge, including SSK itself, should be seen as a social construction. The chapter shows four cornerstones of the strong programme: Causality, Impartiality, Symmetry and Reflexivity. A key branch of SSK is the anthropological approach of the social constructivists. The emphasis of the social constructivists is on micro-studies of what actually occurs in particular settings where science is undertaken, such as a laboratory.
