Steven Shapin is a historian

History of science and technology

The history of science and technology is a field of history which examines how humanity's understanding of the natural world and ability to manipulate it have changed over the centuries...

 and sociologist of science. He is currently the Franklin L. Ford Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

. Before that, he was a professor of sociology at University of California, San Diego

University of California, San Diego

The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...

, and at the Science Studies Unit, Edinburgh University.

He has written broadly on the history and sociology of science, and is known as a key contributor to the sociology of scientific knowledge

Sociology of scientific knowledge

The sociology of scientific knowledge ' is the study of science as a social activity, especially dealing "with the social conditions and effects of science, and with the social structures and processes of scientific activity."...

. He is probably best known for his influential 1985 book with Simon Schaffer

Simon Schaffer

Simon Schaffer . He is a professor of the history and philosophy of science at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University and was until recently editor of The British Journal for the History of Science.-Life:Schaffer was born in Southampton and attended Varndean...

, Leviathan and the Air-Pump: Hobbes, Boyle, and the Experimental Life, for which they received the prestigious Erasmus Prize

Erasmus Prize

The Erasmus Prize is an annual prize awarded by the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation, a Dutch non-profit organization, to individuals or institutions that have made notable contributions to European culture, society, or social science. The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation was founded on 23 June 1958 by...

 in 2005. His 1996 book, The Scientific Revolution, has been translated into 14 languages. Shapin is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books and the New Yorker.

His other honors include the J.D. Bernal Prize and the Ludwik Fleck Prize of the Society for Social Studies of Science

Society for Social Studies of Science

The Society for Social Studies of Science is a non-profit scholarly association devoted to the studies of science and technology. It was founded in 1975 and has, in 2008, an international membership of over 1200....

, the Robert K. Merton Prize of the American Sociological Association

American Sociological Association

The American Sociological Association , founded in 1905 as the American Sociological Society , is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology by serving sociologists in their work and promoting their contributions to serve society.The ASA holds its...

, the Herbert Dingle Prize of the British Society for the History of Science, a Guggenheim Fellowship

Guggenheim Fellowship

Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...

, and a Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences

Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences

The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences is an American interdisciplinary research body in Stanford, California focusing on the social sciences and humanities . Fellows are elected in a closed process, to spend a period of residence at the Center, released from other duties...

.

He is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books

London Review of Books

The London Review of Books is a fortnightly British magazine of literary and intellectual essays.-History:The LRB was founded in 1979, during the year-long lock-out at The Times, by publisher A...

 and the New Yorker

New Yorker

New Yorker may refer to:* A resident of New York City * A resident of New York state * The New Yorker, a magazine* A predecessor newspaper to Horace Greeley's New York Tribune...

.

External links

• Faculty home page
• An interview with Steven Shapin
• Which Scientist Can You Trust? Shapin book review from The New York Review of Books
  The New York Review of Books
  The New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...