The rational and the social /

For the first volume in Routledge's "Philosophical Issues in Science" series, Brown (University of Toronto) has chosen the very important and difficult issue of determining how much of the success of science is best explained in terms of purely methodological considerations vis-a-vis science's ambient social environment. Brown correctly traces the latest round of this ancient feud between philosophers and sociologists to D. Bloor's Knowledge and Social Imagery (1976) and L. Laudan's Progress and Its Problems (CH, Oct '77). Brown confines his discussion to the commentary following these two works; consequently, virtually nothing after 1985 is cited, which is unfortunate, given the significant new directions in the debate. In particular, Brown's "rational" versus "social" distinction has been called into question (cf. B. Latour, Science in Action, CH, Sep '87). As befits the introductory nature of the books in this series, Brown's writing reads effortlessly. Compared with other philosophers with Brown's traditional views on rationality (e.g., A. Flew, Thinking About Social Thinking, CH, Feb '86), the book appears quite scrupulous in its treatment. A welcome addition to any college library. -S. Fuller, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University