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The weak Program
According to David Bloor, sociologists in the past confined their investigations to the explanation of false beliefs. True beliefs were either self-evident or arose out of a rational process of discovery, and therefore required no explanation. Or, put another way, their truth was their explanation. This habit of deference amounted to a structural lack of nerve within sociology, which he called the Weak Programme. (Halverson) -
Birth
David Bloor was born in the English City of Derby which is England by Nottingham. -
knowlege and social imagery
David Bloor first released Knowledge and Social Imagery in 1976 but was treated to "a hostile reception by philosophers." This text was not the first to try to introduce the strong program but is now one of the key texts of the strong program. -
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The strong Programme
Principles:
1.Causality: The sociologist is concerned to explain how and why beliefs gain currency
2.Impartiality: Do not attempt to distinguish between true and false beliefs – instead of arbitrating truth claims, investigate their origins and function in society
3.Symmetry: Apply the same causes to true and false beliefs - the same causal mechanisms will explain the success of true and false beliefs alike
4.Reflexivity: Applies the same analytical tools to yourself and to your work (Halverson) -
Theory of Knowlege
David Bloor theory of knowlege: "Critics have sometimes claimed that it is committed to a form of 'idealism' - that is, to discounting or playing down the input of the material world. This arises because sociologists often sum up their conclusions by saying that knowledge is a social institution, or that concepts are institutions."
Bloor, David. “Idealism and the Sociology of Knowledge.” Social Studies of Science, vol. 26, no. 4, 1996, pp. 839–856. JSTOR, -
Still teaching
Professor David Bloor is still at the University of Edinburgh as the Director of the Science Studies Unit.