Progress in Science and Science at the Non-Western Peripheries

Abstract

Assuming that progress in science means effectiveness at problem-solving, this paper discusses how a progressive scientific tradition can be created by a peripheral scientific community. A mechanism of peripheral scientific growth is proposed, and it is illustrated with an Indian case study. The conclusion of the paper is that scientific collaboration between metropolitan and peripheral research communities is frequently characterized by a persistent inequality of intellectual authority due to inequalityin their epistemic transactions.