Often lost in the debate over the validity of social construction is the question of what is being constructed. Particularly troublesome in this area is the status of the natural sciences, where there is conflict between biological and social approaches to mental illness, and in other areas. Ian Hacking looks at the issue of child abuse, and examines the ways in which advanced research on new weapons influences not the content but the form of science. In conclusion, Hacking comments on the "culture wars" in anthropology, in particular the spat between leading enthnographers over Hawaii and Captain Cook.

Appointed a University Professor in 1991

Ian Hacking received his B.A. in Mathematics and Physics from the University of British Columbia in 1956 and a B.A. in Moral Sciences from Cambridge University in 1958, where he subsequently received both his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in 1962. Professor Hacking joined the University of Toronto in 1982, and was selected as a University Professor in 1991.