Re-Thinking Science presents an account of the dynamic relationship between society and science. Despite the mounting evidence of a much closer, interactive relationship between society and science, current debate still seems to turn on the need to maintain a 'line' to demarcate them. The view persists that there is a one-way communication flow from science to society - with scant attention given to the ways in which society communicates with science. The authors argue that changes in society now make such communications both more likely and more numerous, and that this is transforming science not only in its research practices and the institutions that support it but also deep in its epistemological core. To explain these changes, Nowotny, Scott and Gibbons have developed an open, dynamic framework for re-thinking science. The authors conclude that the line which formerly demarcated society from science is regularly transgressed and that the resulting closer interaction of science and society signals the emergence of a new kind of science: contextualized or context-sensitive science. The co-evolution between society and science requires a more or less complete re-thinking of the basis on which a new social contract between science and society might be constructed. In their discussion the authors present some of the elements that would comprise this new social contract.

Re-Thinking Science presents an account of the dynamicrelationship between society and science. Despite the mountingevidence of a much closer, interactive relationship between societyand science, current debate still seems to turn on the need tomaintain a 'line' to demarcate them. The view persists that thereis a one-way communication flow from science to society - withscant attention given to the ways in which society communicateswith science.The authors argue that changes in society now make suchcommunications both more likely and more numerous, and that this istransforming science not only in its research practices and theinstitutions that support it but also deep in its epistemologicalcore. To explain these changes, Nowotny, Scott and Gibbons havedeveloped an open, dynamic framework for re-thinking science.The authors conclude that the line which formerly demarcatedsociety from science is regularly transgressed and that theresulting closer interaction of science and society signals theemergence of a new kind of science: contextualized orcontext-sensitive science. The co-evolution between society andscience requires a more or less complete re-thinking of the basison which a new social contract between science and society might beconstructed. In their discussion the authors present some of theelements that would comprise this new social contract.

Preface.Chapter 1: The Transformation of Society.Chapter 2: Beyond Modernity - Breaching the Frontiers.Chapter 3: The Co-Evolution of Science and Society.Chapter 4: The Context Speaks Back.Chapter 5: The Transformation of Knowledge Institutions.Chapter 6: The Role of Universities in Knowledge Production.Chapter 7: How does Contextualization Happen?.Chapter 8: Weakly Contextualized Knowledge.Chapter 9: Strongly Contextualized Knowledge.Chapter 10: Contextualization in the Middle Range.Chapter 11: From Reliable Knowledge to Socially RobustKnowledge.Chapter 12: The Epistemological Core?.Chapter 13: Science Moves to the Agora.Chapter 14: Socially Distributed Expertise.Chapter 15: Re-Visioning Science.Chapter 16: Re-Thinking Science is not Science Re-Thought.References.Index