Dorothy E. Smith states, “The kinds of facts
and events which are facts for us have already been shaped up and
given their character and substance as facts, as relations, etc.,
by the methods and practice of governing,” (Smith
1974, 8)
1. Relate her take on facts to Kuhn’s normal science.
Given what Smith is saying about the social construction of
facts and the history of sociology, why is it important to
understand experience as a valid way of knowing?
2. Does using experience as a way of knowing mean that previous
ways of knowing such as “objective, unbiased” research is no
longer useful?