Boundary-Work and the Demarcation of Science from Non-Science: Strains and Interests in Professional Ideologies of Scientists

The demarcation of science from other intellectual activities-long an analytic
problem for philosophers and sociologists-is here examined as a practical problem
for scientists. Construction of a boundary between science and varieties of
non-science is useful for scientists' pursuit of professional goals: acquisition of
intellectual authority and career opportunities; denial of these resources to
"pseudoscientists"; and protection of the autonomy of scientific research from
political interference. "Boundary-work" describes an ideological style found in
scientists' attempts to create a public image for science by contrasting it favorably to
non-scientific intellectual or technical activities. Alternative sets of characteristics
available for ideological attribution to science reflect ambivalences or strains within
the institution: science can be made to look empirical or theoretical, pure or applied.
However, selection of one or another description depends on which characteristics
best achieve the demarcation in a way that justifies scientists' claims to authority or
resources. Thus, "science" is no single thing: its boundaries are drawn and redrawn
inflexible, historically changing and sometimes ambiguous ways.