In the very successful and widely discussed first volume in the Golem series, The Golem: What You Should Know About Science, Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch likened science to the Golem, a creature from Jewish mythology, a powerful creature which, while not evil, can be dangerous because it is clumsy. In this second volume, the authors now consider the Golem of technology. In a series of case studies they demonstrate that the imperfections in technology are related to the uncertainties in science described in the first volume. The case studies cover the role of the Patriot anti-missile missile in the Gulf War, the Challenger space shuttle explosion, tests of nuclear fuel flasks and of anti-misting kerosene as a fuel for airplanes, economic modeling, the question of the origins of oil, analysis of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and the contribution of lay expertise to the analysis of treatments for AIDS.

Table of Contents

Preface and acknowledgements; Introduction: the technological golem; 1. A clean kill?: the role of Patriot in the gulf war; 2. The naked launch: assigning blame for the Challenger explosion; 3. Crash!: nuclear fuel flasks and anti-misting kerosene on trial; 4. The world according to gold: disputes about the origins of oil; 5. Tidings of comfort and joy: seven wise men and the science of economics; 6. The science of the lambs: Chernobyl and the Cumbrian sheep farmers; 7. Acting up: AIDS cures and lay expertise; Conclusion: the golem goes to world; References and further reading.

About the Author

Harry Collins is Distinguished Research Professor in Sociology and Director of the Centre for the Study of Knowledge, Expertise and Science (KES) at Cardiff University. His book, with Trevor Pinch, The Golem: What You Should Know About Science (Cambridge University Press, 1993) won the 1995 Robert Merton Prize of the American Sociological Association. He is the 1997 recipient of the J. D. Bernal Award of the Society for Social Studies of Science. Trevor Pinch is current Professor in the Department of Science and Technology Studies, Cornell University. His book, with Harry Collins, The Golem: What You Should Know About Science (Cambridge University Press, 1993) won the Merton Prize of the American Sociological Association.

Reviews

Collins and Pinch reprise the case study format of their previous coauthored book (The Golem: What You Should Know About Science) and, once again, it works. Recapitulating the space shuttle Challenger explosion and six other major technological tragedies and disputes of our era, they illuminate what they aptly call "the boundaries of expertise." Among the other subjects the authors use to illustrate how the best-laid plans can go wrong are the Patriot anti-missile system, the Chernobyl disaster and early medical treatments for AIDS. Their book is worthy of note not only for its clear analysis of how science can come up short when applied outside the laboratory but for its honest appraisal of the fallibility of technology's gatekeepers. But Collins and Pinch offer much more: a reasonable, surprisingly entertaining rebuttal of both Panglossian technophiles and Luddite technophobes. In so doing, they present themselves as advocates for and, more impressively, exemplars of a sane and realistic view of technology and its role in society. Four line diagrams. (Dec.) FYI: The Golem at Large will be published simultaneously with Cambridge's second edition, in paperback, of The Golem, containing an afterword responding to the book's critics.

From the hardback: 'What The Golem did for science, The Golem at Large does for technology ... My experiences in using the book for teaching, however, have been wholly positive, perhaps because it does not seek to give all the answers. In such a short book, there is no space for detailed post mortems; general comments come in a short concluding chapter. I found it useful, too, as a way of linking together historical studies of science and technology with issues of current concern. That is, the Golem at Large gave me another way of encouraging students to re-examine past science and technology in context and in culture by showing them one way of teasing apart the complex politics of contemporary technology.' B. Marsden, Annals of Science 'Of the many impressive texts that use case studies to convey 'what you should know about technology', The Golem at Large is the clearest and simplest. The authors rework existing materials with great care to produce a valuable introduction to their topic that is accessible to anyone.' Barry Barnes, Nature 'Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch have followed up their book about so-so science, The Golem, with The Golem at Large: What You Should Know About Technology. What you should know is that nothing is simple once humans are involved, especially humans with points to score or reputations to lose. During the Gulf war, how useful was the Patriot missile? What did President Bush mean when he said 41 out of 42 Iraqi Scud missiles were 'intercepted'? Who do you blame for the disaster of the Challenger shuttle mission in 1986? How do you work out where oil really comes from? Why would anyone believe one economist, let alone a group of seven?' Tim Radford, The Guardian '... riveting.' Robert Gaitskell, The Times Higher Educational Supplement