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The Weak Programme
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. (You may be aware of the folk tale Robin of Nottingham.) -
Knowledge and Social Imagery (Second Ed.)
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. Fuller, Steve. Philosophy of Science, vol. 60, no. 1, 1993, pp. 158–170. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/188461. -
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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) -
Wittgenstein: A Social Theory of Knowledge
David Bloor in an article about the book: "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, www.jstor.org/stable/285663 -
Wittgenstein, Rules and Institutions
"The motto here is always: Take a wider look round."
That inside quote can sum up a vast amount of reasoning Bloor conveys.
Bloor, David. Wittgenstein, Rules and Institutions, Routledge, 1997. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/apus/detail.action?docID=168893. -
Educational Video
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Still teaching
Professor David Bloor is still at the University of Edinburgh as the Director of the Science Studies Unit. http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/staff/science_technology_and_innovation_studies/bloor_david
