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Fallible or inerrant? A belated review of the ‘constructivist's bible’

Eddy, M.

Fallible or inerrant? A belated review of the ‘constructivist's bible’ Thumbnail


Authors

M. Eddy



Contributors

Jan Golinski
Editor

Abstract

When Jan Golinski's Making Natural Knowledge was published in 1998 it was generally applauded for its ecumenical stance between the empirical ‘art’ of historians and the theoretical focus of the social sciences. Indeed, such a middling position was a unique approach to be taken in wake of the ‘science wars’ and this, in combination with the book's clear organization and (for the most part) forthright prose, quickly earned it a place upon HPS, STS and SSK postgraduate reading lists. Now, five years since its first edition was published (hardback, 1998), the work has become a standard introduction to historically minded scholars interested in the constructivist programme. In fact, it has been called the ‘constructivist's bible’ in many a conference corridor. Since the book has attained such a status (and since it has not been reviewed in the BJHS), it is perhaps worth reflecting on whether or not such canonical text (to use a biblical analogy) is fallible or inerrant – especially in relation to its content and pedagogical efficacy.

Citation

Eddy, M. (2004). Fallible or inerrant? A belated review of the ‘constructivist's bible’. British Journal for the History of Science, 37(01), 93-98. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007087403005338

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Mar 1, 2004
Deposit Date Apr 28, 2011
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal British Journal for the History of Science
Print ISSN 0007-0874
Electronic ISSN 1474-001X
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Not Peer Reviewed
Volume 37
Issue 01
Pages 93-98
DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007087403005338
Keywords Golinski, Constructivism, History of science.

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Copyright Statement
© 2004 British Society for the History of Science and Cambridge University Press




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