We’re excited to announce that for our first interview series of posts, Harry Collins and Rob Evans have graciously agreed to answer a number of questions for us about their program to establish a “third wave” in the sociology of science: Studies of Expertise and Experience (SEE). The essential reading on the topic is their book, published last year, Rethinking Expertise.
It’s fast reading, but if you want a quicker tour, take a look at this interview with Harry Collins from American Scientist, and also the official SEE web site, which has all the background reading and primers you could want.
SEE, as I understand it, is still not widely accepted among sociologists of science, but the insights jibe with a lot of thinking I’ve been doing on problems of science & scientific thought and policymaking for my work on operations research and other policy sciences. So I’m happy to do whatever propaganda work for it I can. The questions, though, will be probing rather than passive, and I hope readers will chime in on the comments sections. Tell your friends, and watch this space!