Greiffenhagen, Christian (Author)
Sharrock, Wes W. (Author)
Social Studies of Science
Volume: 41
Issue: 6
Pages: 839-866
Edition Details: Special section: Ethnomethodological studies of science, mathematics, and technical activity
Language: English
In this paper we re-examine the implications of the differences between ‘doing’ and ‘writing’ science and mathematics, questioning whether the way that science and mathematics are presented in textbooks or research articles creates a misleading picture of these differences. We focus our discussion on mathematics, in particular on Reuben Hersh’s formulation of the contrast in terms of Goffman’s dramaturgical frontstage–backstage analogy and his claim that various myths about mathematics only fit with how mathematics is presented in the ‘front’, but not with how it is practised in the ‘back’. By investigating examples of both the ‘front’ (graduate lectures in mathematical logic) and the ‘back’ (meetings between supervisor and doctoral students) we examine, first, whether the ‘front’ of mathematics presents a misleading picture of mathematics, and, second, whether the ‘front’ and ‘back’ of mathematics are so discrepant that mathematics really does look certain in the ‘front’, but fallible in the ‘back’.
...MoreArticle Lynch, Michael (December 2011) Editorial Introduction to Special Section on Ethnomethodology. Social Studies of Science (pp. 767-768).
Article Lynch, Michael (December 2011) Harold Garfinkel (29 October 1917 – 21 April 2011): A remembrance and reminder. Social Studies of Science (pp. 927-942).
Article Alač, Morana; Movellan, Javier; Tanaka, Fumihide (December 2011) When a robot is social: Spatial arrangements and multimodal semiotic engagement in the practice of social robotics. Social Studies of Science (pp. 893-926).
Article Rystedt, Hans; Ivarsson, Jonas; Asplund, Sara; Johnsson, Åse Allansdotter; Båth, Magnus (December 2011) Rediscovering radiology: New technologies and remedial action at the worksite. Social Studies of Science (pp. 867-891).
Article Lynch, Michael (December 2011) Ad hoc special section on ethnomethodological studies of science, mathematics, and technical activity: Introduction. Social Studies of Science (pp. 835-837).
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