Knowledge societies

Description

Knowledge Societies offers both a critical examination of existing social theory, and a new synthesis of social theory with the actual study of knowledge relations in advanced economies. Some of the elements explored are scientization: the penetration not only of production but of most social action by scientific knowledge; the transformation of access to knowledge through higher education; the growth of experts (managers, accountants, advisors, and counselors) and of corresponding institutions based on the deployment of specialized knowledge; and a shift in the nature of societal conflict from struggles about income and property to claims and conflicts about generalized human needs. Nico Stehr's argument amply demonstrates not only that all social theories now need to take into account the changing nature of social relations around knowledge, but also the parameters within which this analysis should take place. This book is essential reading for all those interested in social theory, sociology of knowledge and science, and the general issue of knowledge in the late 20th century.

Description

The issues addressed in Knowledge Societies include the process of scientization - the penetration of scientific knowledge not only into production but into most spheres of social action, the transformation of the political system by increasingly knowledgeable citizens, the rise of specific areas of expertise and changes in corresponding institutions based on the deployment of specialized knowledge, a shift in the nature of societal conflict from struggles about the allocation of income and property to claims and conflict about generalized human needs, and the emergence of fragility as a basic attribute of modern social organizations. In present-day societies, knowledge is not only the key to the world, but the making of the world. In this broad-ranging analysis of the central role that knowledge plays in our life, Nico Stehr critically examines the premises of existing social theory and explores the knowledge relations in advanced societies. The result is a significant new synthesis of social theory.

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