Externalism is a philosophical and methodological position in which scientific knowledge is largely determined by external conditions, including social, historical, and political interactions. Externalism is the opposite of internalism .
Externalism can manifest itself in the nature of the research behavior of scientists; in the scientific standards of a particular direction of science development; in ignoring studies of other states or language groups.
Externalism as a trend in historiography and philosophy of science argues that the main task of studying science is the reconstruction of socio-cultural conditions and reference points of scientific activity, which act as a factor directly determining the dynamics of science - the structure of knowledge obtained, its character and direction for further development.
The leader of the externalists was the English physicist and science researcher D. Bernal, who published the following works: “The social function of science”, “Science and society”, “Science in the history of society”, etc.