MTA Lendület
Value-polarizations in Science
Research Group
Science
Values
Polarization
Public
Call for papers!
Malfunction, error, failure: How to learn from scientific mistakes?
Science is a human endeavour: it is made by, used by, reflected by, and shaped by scientists, philosophers, designers, sociologists, and many other professionals connected to science in some way. However, a common human trait is to be wrong, and science is no exception to the rule. In science, just like in any other human practice, there are endless possibilities of making mistakes: to design faulty artefacts that shape experiments or have wrong assumptions, or ignore facts in favour of other things, to name a few.
What happens if, instead of the great, successful scientific case studies, we focus on the possible errors, flaws, and mistakes of scientific thinking?
Are there historical, philosophical, or epistemic rewards for analysing flawed scientific objects, refuted hypotheses, unsuccessful experiments, or controversial theories?
How to approach the notion of error in order to be able to grasp the different manifestations of scientific failures?
How can we define malfunction and error in science? What is the meaning of failure in the context of the philosophy of science?
The workshop aims to focus on the epistemic, philosophical, practical, theoretical, and institutional consequences of error, flaws, and malfunction in design, science, and technology, emphasising the epistemic role of scientific artefacts. The multidisciplinary workshop fosters the possible dialogues between philosophers, historians, and scientists, representing the diversity of contemporary thinking about science. With invited speakers with different backgrounds, we aim to encourage debates and sharing of knowledge between participants to enrich our understanding of current scientific topics with an eye towards malfunction, error, and failure. We particularly interested in scientist’s view on malfunction, e.g. in biology, astronomy, and physics.
Confirmed speakers:
Jordi Cat (online), Indiana University
Harry Collins (online), Cardiff University
Catarina Dutilh Novaes (online), VU Amsterdam
Giora Hon, University of Haifa
László L. Kiss, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, ELKH
Ruth Lorand, University of Haifa
Deborah Mayo, Virginia Tech
Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, Max Planck Institute
Jutta Schickore, Indiana University
Philippe Stamenkovic, Uppsala University
Mark Thomas Young, University of Vienna
All proposals should contain a title and a 500 words abstract, and sent to karakas.alexandra@filozofia.bme.hu, and tubolyadamtamas@gmail.com.
Deadline for submission of paper: January 6, 2023.
Notification date: January 22, 2023.
Organizers:
Alexandra Karakas, karakas.alexandra@filozofia.bme.hu
Adam Tamas Tuboly, tubolyadamtamas@gmail.com
Call for Papers!
Philippe Stamenkovic and Adam Tamas Tuboly are doing a Special Issue at Synthese about "The Legacy of the Value-Free Ideal of Science". For further details see please the webpage of the journal. LINK