Such eminent men of science as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Linus Pauling and Isaac Asimov have been associated with the urgent question of social responsibility in scientific endeavour. In this thought-provoking study Leslie Sklair brings the tools of the sociologist to bear on the problem—for which, he maintains, we all share responsibility. Science and technology have created an unprecedentedly high standard of living in the developed countries. Yet they must equally be held responsible for the development of weapons of mass destruction, industrial processes that have scarred the landscape and polluted the atmosphere, and experimental programmes demanding massive financial investment. Investigating the curiously self-perpetuating phenomena of ‘Big Science’ and ‘Research and Development Economics’, the author turns a sceptical eye on the scientific and technological establishment. He shows, for instance, how the use of ultra-modern technology in underdeveloped countries may hinder rather than help their struggling economies. A deeply concerned, yet balanced and constructive book, Organized Knowledge concludes with some sound proposals for a better, Alternative Future. Front cover illustration is adapted from a print by Eduardo Paolozzi, ‘As is when; I met Wittgenstein in New York’ (artist’s collection).

Leslie Sklair

Organized knowledge: A Sociological View of Science and Technology