Metaphors and the Dynamics of Knowledge (Routledge Studies in Social and Politicalthought)

This book opens up a new route to the study of knowledge dynamics and the sociology of knowledge. The focus is on the role of metaphors as powerful catalysts and the book dissects their role in the construction of theories of knowledge and will therefore be of vital interest to social and cognitive scientists alike. A Striking Characteristic Of Modern Knowledge Society Is The Rapid Spread Of Certain Ideas And Concepts Back And Forth From Everyday To Scientific Discourses, And Across Many Different Contexts Of Meaning. This Book Opens Up A New Road To The Sudy Of These 'dynamics Of Knowledge'. Sociologists Of Knowledge And Recently Evolutionary Theorists Have Offered Explanations That Either Attribute Social Attention To Particular Ideas Or Shifts Of Meaning To The Predominance Of Certain Groups. Maasen And Weingart, However, Offer A Radical New Explanation That Explains Knowledge Dynamics By Reference To The Interaction Between Metaphors And Discourses.--jacket. Metaphors And The Dynamics Of Knowledge: Preliminary Thoughts -- 1. Analysing Knowledge Dynamics, In General, And The Role Of Metaphors, In Particular -- 2. Metaphors As Targets And Tools In The Analysis Of Knowledge Dynamics -- 3. 'struggle For Existence': Selection, Retention And Extinction Of A Metaphor -- 4. Of Paradigms, Shifts, And Changes -- The Kuhnian Metaphor -- 5. The Order Of Meaning: The Career Of Chaos As A Metaphor -- 6. Metaphors And The Dynamics Of Knowledge. Sabine Maasen And Peter Weingart. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [161]-176) And Indexes. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 List of figures and tables......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 9 Foreword......Page 10 Metaphors and the dynamics of knowledge: preliminary thoughts......Page 12 Analysing knowledge dynamics, in general, and the role of metaphors, in particular......Page 18 Metaphors as targets and tools in the analysis of knowledge dynamics......Page 35 'Struggle for existence': selection, retention and extinction of a metaphor......Page 52 Of paradigms, shifts, and changes;the Kuhnian metaphor......Page 74 The order of meaning: the career of chaos as a metaphor......Page 102 Metaphors and the dynamics of knowledge......Page 145 Notes......Page 162 References......Page 172 Author index......Page 188 Subject index......Page 192 This book opens up a new route to the study of knowledge dynamics and the sociology of knowledge. The focus is on the role of metaphors as powerful catalysts, and the book dissects their role in the construction of theories of knowledge. It is of vital interest to social and cognitive scientists alike. Until only very recently, the issue called dynamics of knowledge could not be approached as a matter of discursive interaction, hence as a more or less regular occurrence in societal communication of more or less significance, depending on the issue at hand and the societal discourses involved.