Harry Collins

Harry Collins's sociological research emphasizes the crucial role of "tacit knowledge"—the unspoken, hands-on skills and intuition that cannot be fully written down in manuals. He argues that scientists rely heavily on this informal knowledge to conduct complex experiments and replicate results. Consequently, science cannot be understood purely through its published papers.

Collins conducted long-term fieldwork following the scientific community dedicated to detecting gravitational waves. His deep immersion in this group provided the basis for his books, including "Gravity's Shadow." He observed their decision-making processes to understand how scientists distinguish real signals from background noise.

Collins categorized expertise into three dimensions: contributory (those who actually do the science), interactional (those who can talk to the experts), and referred (those who just look up facts). He argues that interactional experts, like sociologists or journalists, can deeply understand a scientific field without actually practicing it. This allows them to mediate between scientists and the public.

Harry Collins is a British sociologist of science based at Cardiff University in Wales. He served as the director of the Centre for the Study of Knowledge, Expertise, and Science (KES) at the university. He is a prominent figure in the sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK) movement.