Scientific knowledge and its social problems

Scientific knowledge and its social problems by Ravetz, Jerome R.. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780198272137.

This classic of what has become the field of science studies, published in 1971, dismantles the myths of impartiality, Truth seeking (with a capital T), and moral infallibility that surrounded science in the popular Western conception for roughly 200 years. He is especially good at demonstrating how value judgments play a role in the establishment of supposedly quantitative fact--in everything from knowing whether an instrument is properly calibrated to formulating meaningful lines of inquiry. The book pre-dates his formulation of post-normal science but sounds prescient themes regarding the nature of complex (aka, "wicked") problems.