Bloor, Latour, and the field

The debate between Bloor and Latour is based on a fundamental misunderstand ing due to too narrow a view of what Bloor calls 'the field'. The boundarie s of this 'field' are not defined by the sociological analysis of the conte nt of science: SSK and Latour do not share the same object of study. Latour 's approach marks a shift from the social determinants of scientific knowle dge to the ontological labour performed by scientific activity. The researc h on the science/society interface has generated two approaches. Some works tackle the social factors which determine science. Their object is society in science. Other works address the social role of science. Their object o f study is science in society. The difference in the way SSK and Latour loo k at science is an incarnation of this division. A re-conceptualization of 'the field' based on the acknowledgement of these two objects is perhaps th e only way to allow for a diversity of approaches in the study of the scien ce/society interface. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.