The question of the unique meaning of scientific objectivity unity of a negative and a positive account

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Published 12/17/2024
Iñaki Requejo Aramendi

Abstract

To talk about scientific objectivity is to talk about its multiple senses. There is a broad consensus among philosophers of science that objectivity assessments are done in different ways in different contexts. The aim of this article is to argue that these conceptions share a general idea. To do that, I describe current ideas on the subject, such as the idea of epistemic risk or the negative account (Koskinen 2018). It is clarified that the approach based on the epistemic risk is not sufficient to constitute a general meaning. In other words, the negative account based on epistemic risk is just one side of the coin, on the other side we will find a positive account. It is not only about adding processes to identify, avoid or mitigate epistemic risk, but also to incorporate processes that allow legitimate non-epistemic values. The latter relates to the new demarcation problem currently being developed. To reflect this, I describe a real case: selective reporting of evidence in ecology.

How to Cite

Requejo Aramendi, I. (2024). The question of the unique meaning of scientific objectivity: unity of a negative and a positive account. Gogoa, 25. https://doi.org/10.1387/gogoa.25855
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Keywords

positive account;, scientific objectivity, value-free ideal, plurality, epistemic risk, negative account, positive account

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