In this bold and original study, Jeff Kochan constructively combines the sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK) with Martin Heidegger’s early existential conception of science. Kochan shows convincingly that these apparently quite different approaches to science are, in fact, largely compatible, even mutually reinforcing. By combining Heidegger with SSK, Kochan argues, we can explicate, elaborate, and empirically ground Heidegger’s philosophy of science in a way that makes it more accessible and useful for social scientists and historians of science. Likewise, incorporating Heideggerian phenomenology into SSK renders SKK a more robust and attractive methodology for use by scholars in the interdisciplinary field of Science and Technology Studies (STS). Kochan’s ground-breaking reinterpretation of Heidegger also enables STS scholars to sustain a principled analytical focus on scientific subjectivity, without running afoul of the orthodox subject-object distinction they often reject. Science as Social Existence is the first book of its kind, unfurling its argument through a range of topics relevant to contemporary STS research. These include the epistemology and metaphysics of scientific practice, as well as the methods of explanation appropriate to social scientific and historical studies of science. Science as Social Existence puts concentrated emphasis on the compatibility of Heidegger’s existential conception of science with the historical sociology of scientific knowledge, pursuing this combination at both macro- and micro-historical levels. Beautifully written and accessible, Science as Social Existence puts new and powerful tools into the hands of sociologists and historians of science, cultural theorists of science, Heidegger scholars, and pluralist philosophers of science.

This book examines evolution being handled in anthropology from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.

This exciting, ambitious work attempts to rework into the body of social science concerns that are now more often associated with philosophy. Richard Quinney presents a new paradigm, one that draws on metaphysics and Marx. Does a modern capitalist society require an irreligious, secular spirit to justify exploitation? Quinney believes the division between the secular and the sacred approaches, both of which divide the world into social life and spiritual life, is collapsing. This book is nothing less than an attempt to integrate the two. '...it deserves to be read; and its chapter notes, alone, are rich evidence of useful reading.' -- Contemporary Sociology, Vol 13 No 1, January 1984 'Quinney may not acquir

The book explores how humans are distinct social beings whose relations nevertheless extend into nonhuman spheres in various ways.

For years, speculation has been mounting among lawyers, church leaders, social scientists, and the general public over the question of prolongation of life and the critically ill patient's "right to die." But what is the physician's attitude toward this controversial subject? Under what conditions does a doctor battle to save the life of the patient, and when does he decide to withdraw medical treatment and allow death to occur? The answers to these questions form the basis of this book, a fascinating examination of the nature of death and dying, as seen from the physician' point of view.

This collection brings together for the first time in a single volume many of the major figures in contemporary discourse studies. Each chapter is an original contribution which has been specifically commissioned for this book, and together they document the wide range of concerns and techniques which characterise the discipline at the turn of the century. Discourse and Social Life is concerned with a variety of different types of data - talk, text and interaction - and covers research sites which range from the home setting through the health care setting and the courtroom to the public sphere. The book not only provides a critical, historical overview of different traditions of discourse analysis, but also projects to some extent the possible developments of this field of study, as other allied disciplines (Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, Rhetoric and Communication Studies) are taking a discursive turn. Readers are invited to draw parallels between these different approaches to studying discourse in its social context. The contributors are- Sally Candlin, Malcolm Coulthard, Justine Coupland, Nikolas Coupland, Norman Fairclough, Ruqaiya Hasan, Robert Kaplan, Geoff Leech, Yon Maley, Greg Myers, Celia Roberts, Srikant Sarangi, Ron Scollon, Theo van Leeuwen, Henry Widdowson and Ruth Wodak.