When things strike back: a possible contribution of 'science studies' to the social sciences

The contribution of the field of science and technology studies (STS) to ma instream sociology has so far been slim because of a misunderstanding about what it means to provide a social explanation of a piece of science or of an artefact. The type of explanation possible for religion, art or popular culture no longer works in the case of hard science or technology. This doe s not mean, it is argued, that science and technology escapes sociological explanation, but that a deep redescription of what is a social explanation is in order. Once this misunderstanding has been clarified, it becomes inte resting to measure up the challenge raised by STS to the usual epistemologi es social sciences believed necessary for their undertakings. The social sc iences imitate the natural sciences in a way that render them unable to pro fit from the type of objectivity found in the natural sciences. It is argue d that by following the STS lead, social sciences may start to imitate the natural sciences in a very different fashion. Once the meanings of 'social' and of 'science' are reconfigured, the definition of what a 'social scienc e' is and what it can do in the political arena is considered. Again it is not by imitating the philosophers of science's ideas of what is a natural s cience that sociology can be made politically relevant.