Abstract
It is argued that the subject matter of science studies requires expansion. In support of this objective, I suggest the need to engage the activities of ordinary as well as extraordinary people in traditional as well as industrial societies, study apparatus consisting of mundane objects as well as multibillion-dollar facilities, and elucidate the kinds of knowledge that make possible the pursuit of material life in every society. The expansion of subject matter along these lines is facilitated by an archaeological approach. After mentioning various perspectives for studying science, the chapter sets forth the elements of the archaeology of science. Finally, a preview is presented of the remaining 12 chapters.
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Notes
- 1.
I considered using terms like “natural knowledge,” which dates back to the late seventeenth century, and “practical knowledge,” of more recent vintage, to denote the products of science. I rejected the former because it ignores the agency of humans in knowledge-creation activities and the latter because the term “practical” is highly problematic (Schiffer 2008, chapter 1).
- 2.
People obviously create many other kinds of knowledge having their own domains of use, from social science to theology, but they are not treated in this book.
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Acknowledgments
I thank Lawrence H. Lazarus for comments on this chapter.
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Schiffer, M.B. (2013). Introduction. In: The Archaeology of Science. Manuals in Archaeological Method, Theory and Technique, vol 9. Springer, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00077-0_1
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