Week 2 Reading Reflections

In the text, “What is a Laboratory?” author Karin Knorr-Cetina argues that modern laboratory science is a product of certain phenomena of the laboratory environment, and therefore science labs cannot be thought of as passive locations in which scientific knowledge is generated or discovered. Knorr-Cetina bases this argument around several claims regarding science labs: (a) labs create environments in which the objects of study are not subject to the rules of everyday reality, (b) labs create a social network in which knowledge is discovered and shared as a means of interpersonal communication and interaction, and (c) labs vary immensely across academic disciplines and each lab manipulates its research methodology to be conducive to its respective fields. These three angles serve to produce a convincing argument that laboratories are influencers of the science they generate. However one issue with Knorr-Cetina’s argument was her distinction of the hospital setting from other labs. Claiming that a healthcare environment is similar to the lab is insufficient, given her strong claim that labs vary immensely across disciplines. It would have been more effective for her to define the hospital as simply another type of lab (as research occurs here) with variations suited to conducting medical research.

The text “Give Me a Laboratory and I will Raise the World” focuses on the concept of agency in the scientific world. One issue it raises is the division between the scientists and the utilizers of scientific discovery. A proposed solution to this issue is an “opening up” of the lab as a space not of secrecy, but of accessible, public knowledge.

Finally, the Biologistical Construction of Race goes into extensive detail to break down both the motivations for investigation of genetics and implications of such studies. Ultimately, race is not a biological quality. To be perfectly candid, I’m not sure exactly how this fits into our theme for this week, so I am looking forward to our course discussion for some clarity and insight.