A Social Epistemology of Research Groups

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-ix

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2. Introduction

   • Susann Wagenknecht

   Pages 1-18

3. Research Groups

   • Susann Wagenknecht

   Pages 19-34

4. Method

   • Susann Wagenknecht

   Pages 35-57

5. The Planetary Science Group

   • Susann Wagenknecht

   Pages 59-73

6. The Molecular Biology Laboratory

   • Susann Wagenknecht

   Pages 75-90

7. Division of Labor

   • Susann Wagenknecht

   Pages 91-108

8. Epistemic Dependence

   • Susann Wagenknecht

   Pages 109-130

9. Epistemic Trust

   • Susann Wagenknecht

   Pages 131-152

10. Collaboration and Collective Knowledge

    • Susann Wagenknecht

    Pages 153-171

11. Concluding Remarks

    • Susann Wagenknecht

    Pages 173-178

12. Back Matter

    Pages 179-187

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This book investigates how collaborative scientific practice yields scientific knowledge. At a time when most of today’s scientific knowledge is created in research groups, the author reconsiders the social character of science to address the question of whether collaboratively created knowledge should be considered as collective achievement, and if so, in which sense. Combining philosophical analysis with qualitative empirical inquiry, this book provides a comparative case study of mono- and interdisciplinary research groups, offering insight into the day-to-day practice of scientists. The book includes field observations and interviews with scientists to present an empirically-grounded perspective on much-debated questions concerning research groups’ division of labor, relations of epistemic dependence and trust.

• Philosophy of science
• Social epistemology
• Scientific knowledge
• Collective knowledge
• Epistemic trust
• Epistemic dependence
• Scientific practice
• Scientific collaboration
• Research groups
• Interdisciplinary research
• Field observation
• Interviews
• epistemology
• philosophy
• science

“Susann Wagenknecht has written an important book that uses empirical methods for testing and refining philosophical theories about the nature and collaborative creation of scientific knowledge. …I believe this is the first book that makes a serious attempt to study these philosophical topics with an empirical methodology. The book delivers important insights and is recommended reading for both philosophers and social scientists interested in epistemic collaboration and creation of scientific knowledge.” (Raul Hakli, Metascience, July, 2018)

• University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany

  Susann Wagenknecht

Susann Wagenknecht is an interdisciplinary researcher at the intersection of philosophy of science, social epistemology, and qualitative empirical methods. She received her PhD from Aarhus University, Denmark, in 2014. Since then, she has published on epistemic trust and dependence in Episteme and Social Epistemology; and co-edited together with Hanne Andersen and Nancy J. Nersessian the volume Empirical Philosophy of Science (Springer, 2015).

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