Author Description

In this important book, Pierre Bourdieu - one of the world's leading social thinkers - turns the tools of science back onto science itself to examine the social conditions and organizations of scientific knowledge. He does so at a time when the autonomy of science - both natural and social - is increasingly threatened by economic and political interests. Many areas of scientific research, such as genetics and biotechnology, are funded by private firms seeking to develop commercial products, and the lines between pure and applied research are becoming increasingly blurred.