This edited collection charts the development of, and prospects for, conceiving knowledge as a social phenomenon. The origin, aims and growth of the journal Social Epistemology, founded in 1987, serves to anchor each of the book's contributions. Each contribution offers a unique, but related, insight on current issues affecting the organization and production of knowledge. In addition, each contribution proposes necessary questions, practices and frameworks relevant to the rapidly changing landscape of our conceptions of knowledge. The book examines the commercialization of science, the neoliberal university, the status and conduct of philosophy, the cultures of computer software and social networking, the practical, political and anthropological applications of social epistemology, and how we come to define what human beings are and what activities human beings can, and should, sustain. A diverse group of noted, international scholars lends necessary, original and challenging perspectives on our collective approach to knowledge.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Social Epistemology.

About the Author
James H. Collier is the Executive Editor of Social Epistemology and the Founder and Acting Editor of the Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective. He is an Associate Professor of Science, Technology and Society at Virginia Tech, USA. His research interests include the conduct of academic and intellectual inquiry. Previous publications include Philosophy, Rhetoric and the End of Knowledge: A New Beginning for Science and Technology Studies (with Steve Fuller, 2004) and Scientific and Technical Communication: Theory, Practice and Policy (with David Toomey, 1997).


Book Information
ISBN 9780415711036
Author James Collier
Format Hardback
Page Count 252
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 612g