The development of theorems in logic is generally thought to be a solitary and purely cerebral activity, and therefore unobservable by sociologists. In Weaving Self-Evidence, French sociologist Claude Rosental challenges this notion by tracing the history of one well-known recent example in the field of artificial intelligence--a theorem on the foundations of fuzzy logic. Rosental's analyses disclose the inherently social nature of the process by which propositions in logic are produced, disseminated, and established as truths.
Rosental describes the different phases of the emergence of the theorem on fuzzy logic, from its earliest drafts through its publication and diffusion, discussion and reformulation, and eventual acceptance by the scientific community. Through observations made at major universities and scholarly conferences, and in electronic forums, he looks at the ways students are trained in symbolic manipulations and formal languages and examines how researchers work, interact, and debate emerging new ideas. By carefully analyzing the concrete mechanisms that lead to the collective development and corroboration of proofs, Rosental shows how a logical discovery and its recognition within the scholarly community are by no means the product of any one individual working in isolation, but rather a social process that can be observed and studied.
Weaving Self-Evidence will interest students and researchers in sociology and the history and philosophy of science and technology, and anyone curious about how scientists work.
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"Sociologist Rosental meticulously argues for the materiality of logic as a field of inquiry. He rigorously grounds his work in science studies, extending the reach of social analysis into a domain superficially thought to be purely mental: that of logical formalism and proof."--J.L. Croissant, Choice "In the history of STS, hard cases, from mathematics to laboratory manipulations, have played key roles. This book should enter the field as an exemplary treatment of a hard case."--Sergio Sismondo, Canadian Journal of Sociology "Rosentals's Weaving Self-Evidence ... is timely and much needed."--Stephan Fuchs, American Journal of Sociology
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This is a beautifully crafted book. In it, Claude Rosental proceeds to demonstrate that, as for all scientific and intellectual pursuits, the production and evaluation of theorems depend on conventions and networks that are eminently social. Rosental is widely regarded as one of the most promising social scientists working in France today. He is clearly a rising star in the field of science studies. -- Michele Lamont, Harvard University This is a fine piece of scholarship and an important book. Rosental shows that in spite of our assumption that new ideas in logic are thought up individually and evaluated in the minds of others, they are presented, read, and judged in a more social and ritual manner--proofs cannot simply be thought into existence. Weaving Self-Evidence is an important contribution to the sociology of knowledge. -- Chandra Mukerji, University of California, San Diego
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix INTRODUCTION 1 A Sociologist among Logicians 2
Observing Demonstrations 4 A Necessarily Detailed Analytic Account 7
Grasping the Emergence of a Logical Theorem 8 Accessing the Specialized
Skills of Workers in Logic 12 PART ONE: ACCESSING THE WORLD OF PRODUCERS
OF LOGICAL STATEMENTS 15 CHAPTER 1: How Can We Grasp What Logic-Makers
Do? Questions Raised in the Human Sciences and Philosophy about Logic and
Mathematics 17 Do Researchers in Logic Invoke Ideal Principles? 18 How Do
Multiple Social Actors Put Forward Various Definitions and Practices of
Logic? 20 Questions Raised by Certain Works in the Social History of
Mathematics 24 Can Institutional Sociology Account for the Ways in Which
Research in Mathematics Is Carried Out? 24 Can One Grasp the Role of
Networks of Actors and Practices in the Production of a Theorem? 31 What
Role Does the Scale of Adoption of Specific Practices of Demonstration Play
in the Dynamics of Recognition of a Result? 33 Can the Analysis of
Demonstrative Practices Be Inscribed Solely within the Framework of the
History of a Scientific Discipline? 36 What Demonstrative Resources Are Used
for What Recognition? 40 Questions Raised by Some Studies That Focus on, or
Formulate a Research Program to Address, Practices in Logic 44 Conclusion 53
CHAPTER 2: Spaces and Tools for Exchange 55 Preliminary Information
about the Way an Electronic Forum Works 55 Shared Skills in Logic 59
PART TWO: PRACTICES OF DE-MONSTRATION: DEBATING A THEOREM IN AN ELECTRONIC
FORUM 75 CHAPTER 3: Bringing to Light: Demonstration Put to the Test of
Antagonistic Logical Practices 77 The Formal Presentation of a Demonstration
Does Not Lead Automatically to Consensus 77 The Absence of Universally
Recognized Central Logical Principles 77 The Heterogeneity of Ways of Doing
Logic 83 The Use Values of Demonstrations 93 De-monstrating and Appearing
96 The Practice of Substituting Proofs 96 Making Logical Principles Appear
and Disappear in Demonstrations 98 Making Certain De-monstrations Maximally
Visible 109 CHAPTER 4: Evaluating the Correctness of a Theorem and the
Properties of a Logic at the Intersection between Several De-monstrative
Modes 116 Bringing to the Fore the Properties of a Logical System in
Technological Devices in Order to Cast Doubt on the Correctness of a Proof
116 Personalizing the Debates in Order to Evaluate the Correctness of a
Theorem 125 Trying to Neutralize a Proof by Invoking General Antagonisms 127
Contesting a Proof and Defending Logical Properties by Evoking a Cultural
Specificity 136 PART THREE: MEDIATIONS USED TO ADVANCE A LOGICAL THEOREM
149 CHAPTER 5: Accompanying De-monstrations: The Publication of a
De-monstration at the Heart of the Action of Groups of Actors 151 How One
and the Same De-monstration Can Be Rejected and Then Accepted for Publication
151 From De-monstration to Publication: The Importance of Interactions 161
Elkan's Proof and the Conference Paper Selection Process 171 CHAPTER 6:
Federating a Counter-De-monstration or Producing Hand-Tailored Responses 187
Producing More Stable and Visible Responses, in Limited Number 187 The
Formation and Use of Sedimented Repertories of De-monstration 198 Advancing
Adaptive, Polysemic, and Differentiated De-monstrations 204 CHAPTER 7:
The Emergence of a Quasi-Object and a Collective Statement 211 Recourse to
Tacit Manipulations: De-monstration as a Quasi-Object 211 Defending a Proof
by Reformulating It 217 Nuances and Precautions 218 A Polysemic Textual
Device to Stabilize Debates 221 The Successive Versions of a Proof: Records
of Negotiations 233 De-monstrations Serving to Stabilize a Controversy 237
Federating and Stabilizing Positions and Thereby Helping to Marginalize the
Adversary 238 Devices of Reiteration and Reference Contributing to a
Stabilization of the Debates 244 CONCLUSION A Sociology of the
Practices of De-monstration 250 Destylizing the Unfolding of Debates in
Logic 250 Following the Production of Certified Knowledge in Logic 253
Observing the Work of De-monstration 256 Logic and Sociology 259 Toward a
Social and Material History of Forms of De-monstration 266 WORKS CITED 271
INDEX 287
Claude Rosental is a sociologist and researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and a member of the Institut Marcel Mauss at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in France.
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