Synthesized answer
The central thesis of "Laboratory Life: The Construction of Scientific Facts" is that laboratory science can be understood as an anthropological study of the scientist's culture [Passage 1]. The authors approach laboratory science in a deliberately skeptical manner, examining how the social environment of the laboratory generates scientific papers and other "texts" [Passage 1].
This perspective highlights that what is considered a scientific vision of reality is essentially a collection of statements that are, at a given time, too costly to alter [Passage 1]. The book is grounded in fieldwork conducted in a specific laboratory, aiming to connect the sociology of modern science with historical studies of laboratories [Passage 1].
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
Title: Laboratory Life by Bruno Latour, Steve Woolgar Description: This highly original work presents laboratory science in a deliberately skeptical way: as an anthropological approach to the culture of the scientist. Drawing on recent work in literary criticism, the authors study how the social world of the laboratory produces papers and other "texts,"' and how the scientific vision of reality becomes that set of statements considered, for the time being, too expensive to change. The book is based on field work done by Bruno Latour in Roger Guillemin's laboratory at the Salk Institute and…