The practice turn and its effect on science studies

Abstract

Scientific practice, in all its dimensions, has been the focus of considerable interest to philosophers, historians, and social scientists for some years now. The book Science after the practice turn in the philosophy, history, and social studies of science reflects precisely this trend in contemporary literature, all wrapped up in a neat edition. Unlike other edited books, here we find a collection of articles with each having its own critical response. Such dialectical structure facilitates communication between different traditions and communities, while at the same time moving discussions forward. Precisely because there is no common approach to what the practice turn is, each article and its response is self-contained. This is an advantage of the book as it favors variety. Unfortunately, it also creates an imbalance, as the book ends up lacking continuity throughout the discussions. As a result, we get articles ranging from theoretical studies on the practice turn (e.g., Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 9) to more example-centered ones (e.g., Chapters 4, 5 and 8), including a rich amalgam that thrive from both kinds. From a different angle, the book profits from studies on chemistry (Chapter 2), values in engineering (Chapter 6), mathematics and history of mathematics (Chapters 7 and 8, respectively), and ethics (Chapter 5). All I can give is a quick overlook of each chapter, as space is constrained. As such, I will be unable to do full justice to each article and its response. All ten pieces, as well as the introduction, excel in quality, creativity, and importance, regardless of the specificity of topic addressed. All ten pieces make this book a rich and valuable addition to the literature concerned with the practice turn. What follows is a summary of the general flow of the book. The introductory chapter is an illuminating historical reconstruction of the current studies on the practice turn in science studies. Although there is no general