The sociology of physics: Gravity's Shadow

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Harry Collins' book "Gravity's Shadow" delves into the theory and experimentation surrounding gravity waves, offering a compelling exploration of the sociology of physics. It examines the disparity between scientists' beliefs and their published work, highlighting the complexities of scientific communication and understanding. The discussion emphasizes the strength of the foundations of physics and the engaging nature of Collins' insights, particularly his concept of "interactional expertise," which he presented in a recent seminar related to the gravity wave community. The book is noted for being both informative and captivating, making it a worthwhile read for those interested in the topic.
CarlB
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It's not everyday that I find an 864 page book hard to put down, but I've been really engrossed in Harry Collins' book on gravity waves (theory and experiment) titled "Gravity's Shadow":

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0226113787/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Part of this is because I took two classes from Joe Weber, but mostly this is because of his fascinating insight into the sociology of physics. The difference between why people believe things and what they write down in their papers. What a game!

If anyone thinks that the foundations of physics are not well defended, think again.
 
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CarlB said:
What a game!

Sounds interesting, Carl. If I see a copy somewhere I'll make sure to steal/borrow it.

:smile:
 
He recently gave an interesting seminar on "Interactional expertise"
http://google.com/search?q="Interactional+expertise"
using his interactions with the gravity wave community. If I find time, I'll take a look at his book.
 

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