Conference “Formal Models of Scientific Inquiry”

Special issue of the Journal for General Philosophy of Science: “Formal Models of Scientific Inquiry”

Deadline for submissions: December 1, 2017

We invite submissions for the special issue of the Journal for General Philosophy of Science on the topic of Formal Models of Scientific Inquiry. The issue will include papers presented at the conference (see below). Papers not presented at the conference are also welcome.

Throughout the last two decades philosophical discussions on scientific inquiry have increasingly utilized formal models. This has been especially fruitful for the investigation of social aspects of scientific inquiry, such as the division of cognitive labor, social factors that influence scientific decision making, etc. To this end a variety of formal models have been developed, starting from analytical ones to agent-based models that provide computer simulations of scientific inquiry. One of the main advantages of formal approaches is that they help us to gain a precise understanding of the underlying issues and to form normative generalizations that are difficult to obtain in view of traditional methods (such as, for example, historical case studies). Nevertheless, models frequently come with a high degree of idealization and simplification, which may impede their relevance for actual scientific practice. This poses the question, to which extent formal models can be used to provide an understanding of scientific inquiry, and to which extent they can be improved with respect to their relevance for science policy.

We invite papers on the above and related issues, including:

• analytical models of scientific inquiry
• agent-based models of scientific inquiry
• modeling science by means of formal argumentation
• Bayesian approaches to the modeling of scientific inquiry
• using economic models to tackle scientific decision making: pros and cons
• critical examination of the prospects and limits of formal models of science.

• When: July 18-19, 2017
• Where: Institute of Philosophy II, Ruhr-University Bochum

Throughout the last two decades philosophical discussions on scientific inquiry have increasingly utilized formal models. This has been especially fruitful for the investigation of social aspects of scientific inquiry, such as the division of cognitive labor, social factors that influence scientific decision making, etc. To this end a variety of formal models have been developed, starting from analytical ones to agent-based models that provide computer simulations of scientific inquiry. One of the main advantages of formal approaches is that they help us to understand these issues precisely and to form normative generalizations that are difficult to obtain in view of traditional methods (such as, for example, historical case studies). Nevertheless, models frequently come with a high degree of idealization and simplification, which may impede their relevance for actual scientific practice. This poses the question, to which extent formal models can be used to provide an understanding of scientific inquiry, and to which extent they can be improved with respect to their relevance for science policy.

The aim of this conference is to bring together scholars working on different approaches to the formal modeling of scientific inquiry to discuss both different types of formal models and the prospects and limits of their usefulness for philosophy of science, social epistemology and science policy. We invite contributions on these and related issues, including:

• analytical models of scientific inquiry
• agent-based models of scientific inquiry
• modeling science by means of formal argumentation
• Bayesian approaches to the modeling of scientific inquiry
• using economic models to tackle scientific decision making: pros and cons
• critical examination of the prospects and limits of formal models of science

• Gregor Betz (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology)
• Leah Henderson (University of Groningen)
• Jason McKenzie Alexander (London School of Economics)

• [X] submission deadline: April 1, 2017
• [X] notifications: May 1, 2017
• [ ] workshop: July 18-19, 2017

There will be no admission fee. For organization purposes we kindly ask you to register here.

Please register before June 15.

• Jesus P. Zamora Bonilla (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia)
• Peter Brössel (Ruhr-University Bochum)
• Anna-Maria Asunta Eder (Northeastern University)
• Remco Heesen (University of Cambridge)
• Bennett Holman (Yonsei University)
• Rogier De Langhe (Ghent University)
• Jan Sprenger (Tilburg University)