The nature of scientific change has been one of the key issues in the philosophy of science. Scholars including Karl Popper, Gaston Bachelard, Thomas Kuhn, Paul Feyerabend, Georges Canguilhem, Imre Lakatos, Larry Laudan, and many others have proposed theories of scientific change. These theories range from evolutionary approaches to historiographies of scientific revolutions to analyses of processes of concept generation.

Surprisingly, however, theories of scientific change typically do not address changing methods of research. Scientific methodology is often seen as the defining feature of research activities – and yet, very few analysts have examined the nature of methodological change and its impact on the dynamics of science. In order to change that and address the most compelling research questions on methodological changes, a collaborative effort is needed.

This workshop, organized by Jutta Schickore from IU’s Department of History and Philosophy of Science, aims to organize an international, interdisciplinary network of scholars in science studies (broadly construed, including history, philosophy, and sociology of science) to study continuity, improvement, and innovation in experimental methodology. The core group of the network consists of three scholars working at Indiana University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich and the University of Copenhagen.

Location:
Indiana University Europe Gateway
CIEE Global Institute
Gneisenaustraße 27
10961 Berlin

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