The social construction of technological systems; New directions in the sociology and history of technology

“This common traits, we feel, would still make sense after twenty-five years. For some audiences, the difference between the three approaches just are much less relevant than what can be learned when using a general "constructivist" approach to looking at Technology"

 

1. Opening the black box: They argue that those who came from different schools of thought and having a different interpretation, did not focus on highlighting their differences but tried to enhance  their "new sociological understanding ‘of technology' through an integrated, yet not assimilated, constructivist approach with the motto of opening  the black box. For example, the authors argue that the concept of actor-networks and a relevant social group went very well together in a European project they have done (Hommels, Peters and Bijker 2007)

 

2. The science and technology relationship: For a better understanding of the social constructivist theory of Technology, the important theme should be introspected need to be the relationship between technology and Science, and how they how it worked both historical and contemporary Times. The social constructivist argues that the philosophers were misleading in the attempt to separate both Technology and Science in the analytical context 'over-idealized'(Pinch.J.T, Bijker.E.W) the distinctions such as science as truth and technology as an application. But according to Layton (1977)

 “Science and technology have become intermixed. Modern technology involves scientists who 'do' technology and 'technologists' who function as scientists..... The old view that basic sciences generate all the knowledge which technologists then apply will simply not help in understanding contemporary technology". The social constructivist argues that the kind of division emerges between technology and science are not about knowing or doing, but it is social in nature.

 

3. The social construction itself: in the entire volume, theories ranging from cognition to pure science, from Hughes to Bijker, concepts like the relative social group to regulatory science, contributes to the idea of social construction rather being independent components alienated to understand technology and science and its confusing abstract co-relation.

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