The Mangle of Practice
Instantiations : Part One
Machines : Building the Bubble Chamber
Facts : the Hunting of the Quark
Concepts : Constructing Quaternions
Technology : Numerically Controlled Machine Tools
Articulations : Part Two
Living in the Material World
Through the Mangle

This ambitious book by one of the most original thinkers in science studies offers a sophisticated new understanding of the production of scientific knowledge and the nature of scientific, mathematical, and engineering practice. Andrew Pickering takes into account the extraordinary number of elements - social, technological, conceptual, metaphysical - that come together in the practice of science. He describes science as a zone of encounter where machines, instruments, facts, theories, disciplined human practices, and social relations are intertwined - engaged in a ceaseless and open-ended interaction he calls "the mangle of practice". The core of the book consists of extended case studies that show how the concept of the mangle advances our understanding of scientific work both past and present. Pickering discusses in detail the building of the bubble chamber, the search for the quark, the construction of the quaternion system in mathematics, and the introduction of computer-controlled machine tools in the industrial workplace, demonstrating how the contours and powers of the human, material, and social worlds have shaped one another in specific situations. Taken together, these studies illuminate the most fundamental aspects of scientific practice - the development of experimental apparatus, the production of facts, the creation of theory, and the interrelation of machines and social organization. "The Mangle of Practice" continues the work of Pickering's groundbreaking "Constructing Quarks", challenging accepted ideas about the practice of science, the role of the scientist, and the nature of scientific truth. Deepening our understanding of the relations among science, technology, and society, this book is accessible to anyone interested in the issues it takes on, and essential reading for sociologists, historians, and philosophers of science. Andrew Pickering is professor of sociology, criticism, and interpretive theory at the University of Illinois. He is the author of "Constructing Quarks" and editor of "Science as Practice and Culture"