The golem

the long version

"What is the Golem? In Jewish mythology the Golem is an effigy or image brought to life. While not evil, it is a strong, clumsy, and incomplete servant. Through a series of case studies, ranging from relativity and cold fusion to memory in worms and the sex lives of lizards, Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch debunk the traditional view that science is the straightforward result of competent theorisation, observation and experimentation and show that scientific certainty is the interpretation of ambiguous results."