Sociology of science: evolution of basic programs

The study analyzes the emergence, dynamics and transformation of the basic programs in the sociology of scientific knowledge. Macrosociological and microsociological studies of science are considered. There are weak and strong programs in every scope of macro- and microsociology. The weak program considers the interaction between social context and science while the strong program proves that sociality is included in scientific knowledge. The strong program substantiates the conventional and relative nature of scientific knowledge neglecting the concept of truth. Further development of the sociology of science leads to the emergence of the following new theories: actor-network theory and the theory of object-centered sociality. Such new concepts as an epistemic object, sociotechnical networks, postsocial knowledge societies are developed as well. The basic programs of the sociology of science complement each other; the scientific knowledge depends on both cognitive and social processes.