Heart of Science: A Philosophy of Scientific Inquiry
Autor Jacob Stegengaen Limba Engleză Paperback – 9 feb 2026
In Heart of Science, philosopher Jacob Stegenga breaks with the most dominant epistemologies of science to argue that in judging scientific activity, we should focus on its justification, not the achievement of truth or knowledge. Yet, Stegenga argues, the aim of science goes far beyond justification and is, instead, a special kind of truth—common knowledge, a broadly shared and mutually justified scientific finding.
Drawing on both historical examples and recent events like the COVID-19 pandemic, Stegenga outlines his approach before delving into its implications for scientific evaluation, testimony, values, progress, and credit, as well as the nature of science during times of crisis. Truth, he shows, may not be easily identified in the short term. However, an evaluation of scientific justification, grounded in shared standards, is possible. This framework helps us appraise—and appreciate—historical theories that ultimately weren’t accurate and offers fresh insights about appropriate science communication and public trust in scientific research. Justification and scientific rigor are not just means to an end, Stegenga writes, but the very heart of good science.
Ambitious, authoritative, and accessible, Heart of Science offers a new vision for the philosophy of science.
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Specificații
ISBN-13: 9780226844053
ISBN-10: 0226844056
Pagini: 272
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 mm
Greutate: 0.45 kg
Ediția:First Edition
Editura: University of Chicago Press
Colecția University of Chicago Press
ISBN-10: 0226844056
Pagini: 272
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 mm
Greutate: 0.45 kg
Ediția:First Edition
Editura: University of Chicago Press
Colecția University of Chicago Press
Notă biografică
Jacob Stegenga is professor of philosophy in the School of Humanities at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is the author of Medical Nihilism and Care and Cure: An Introduction to Philosophy of Medicine.
Cuprins
Introduction
Chapter 1. Common Knowledge
Chapter 2. Deontic Evaluation
Chapter 3. A New Value-Free Ideal
Chapter 4. Scientific Assertion
Chapter 5. Scientific Progress
Chapter 6. Prise Praise and Prize from Priority
Chapter 7. Fast Science
Chapter 8. Timeless Truths
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
Index
Chapter 1. Common Knowledge
Chapter 2. Deontic Evaluation
Chapter 3. A New Value-Free Ideal
Chapter 4. Scientific Assertion
Chapter 5. Scientific Progress
Chapter 6. Prise Praise and Prize from Priority
Chapter 7. Fast Science
Chapter 8. Timeless Truths
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
Index
Recenzii
“Stegenga’s deeply informed and wide-ranging discussions address numerous traditional issues in the philosophy of science, offering original and lucidly defended new alternatives. As he sees, the perspective presented here is likely to illuminate questions beyond the many that he covers. In particular, his elegant account of the norms of scientific assertion brings new precision to controversies about how scientific research can properly affect social policies. Within the academy and more broadly, the proposals and arguments assembled here are likely to do much good.”
“In this exciting new book, Stegenga argues that the goals of science need to be radically reconceived. Rejecting the idea that the goal is truth or predictive accuracy, he maintains that the goal of science is to achieve common knowledge, not only about which claims are true, but also about the justificatory reasons that license those claims. Stegenga centers his story on the idea that science is a social process and applies his account of common knowledge to a wide range of important topics: 1) the difference between science and pseudo-science, 2) the role of ethical and political values in the scientific process, 3) the norms that scientists should abide by in deciding what to assert in professional publications and in deciding what to say in articles aimed at the general public, 4) how scientific progress ought to be understood, 5) how rewards and credit should be distributed for scientific achievements, and 6) how the norms for ‘fast science’ (for example, the immediate scientific response to a public-health crisis) should differ from those for ‘slow science.’ Stegenga provides illuminating arguments and counterarguments, which flesh out his big picture.”
“Heart of Science exemplifies next generation social epistemology of science. Stegenga creatively transports the distinction between deontic and utilitarian approaches from ethics to the epistemology of science. The central aim of scientific inquiry, he proposes, is not truth, but common knowledge, defined as ‘a shared and mutually justified scientific finding.’ His elaboration of this idea enables new insights on the evaluation of scientific claims, the demarcation problem, value-freedom as an ideal for science, scientific progress and more. Rich with scientific examples and engagement with relevant philosophical arguments, the text persuasively integrates much of the work in social epistemology of science from the last three or four decades to take the social epistemological approach to science and inquiry to a new level of sophistication.”