Book Reviews – The Epistemological Rationale

The bedrock of scientific knowledge is achieved through argumentation from data gleaned both from experimental and theoretical work. The social practice of argumentative dialogue, either in support or against scientific theory, is how science progresses. Because data itself is incapable of speaking for nature, the human agent must be the mediator. Most of the book reviews highlighted in this series showcase the struggles of making sense of knowledge claims and expose the process of the scientific community’s certification process. While only clear cut in summaries of schoolbooks, the actual process is never straightforward, is imbued with the cultural constraints of the time, and is manifestly long winded. Our hope is that highlighting these texts illuminates the tumultuous process of knowing, which is initially always obscured, and only becomes clear through the hard work of seemingly discursive critique.