ABSTRACT
Relativism is a position which pioneers in the sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK) such as David Bloor, Barry Barnes and Harry Collins have explicitly embraced. Recall Barry Barnes and David Bloor's wrote the essay, 'Relativism, Rationalism and the Sociology of Knowledge', or 'Harry Collins 1981 Empirical Programme of Relativism'. The sort of relativism discussed within SSK in the early days was usually referred to as cognitive relativism in distinction to moral relativism. Methodological relativism is the minimum requirement needed in order to carry out empirical work in SSK. In short by 1981 Collins was to all intents and purposes embracing the same sort of methodological relativism as advocated by the Strong Programme. Barnes and Bloor saw that it was important to stress that they were also realists in regard to the external world Collins saw those expressions of realism as doing no sociological work so felt that such statements made no difference.
