Philosophical intervention and cross-disciplinary science: the story of the Toolbox Project

In this article we argue that philosophy can facilitate improvement in cross-disciplinary science. In particular, we discuss in detail the Toolbox Project, an effort in applied epistemology that deploys philosophical analysis for the purpose of enhancing collaborative, cross-disciplinary scientific...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSynthese (Dordrecht) Vol. 190; no. 11; pp. 1937 - 1954
Main Authors O'Rourke, Michael, Crowley, Stephen J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Dordrecht Springer 01.07.2013
Springer Netherlands
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Collaboration
Context
Conversation
Education
Epistemology
Group communication
Group facilitation
Group identity
Interdisciplinary research
Logic
Metaphysics
Philosophical analysis
Philosophy
Philosophy of Language
Philosophy of Science
Psychological attitudes
Research facilities
Toolboxes
United States > US
Thousand Oaks California
Chicago Illinois
Applied epistemology
Toolbox Project
Philosophical intervention
Collaboration
Cross-disciplinary research
Communication
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Summary:In this article we argue that philosophy can facilitate improvement in cross-disciplinary science. In particular, we discuss in detail the Toolbox Project, an effort in applied epistemology that deploys philosophical analysis for the purpose of enhancing collaborative, cross-disciplinary scientific research through improvements in cross-disciplinary communication. We begin by sketching the scientific context within which the Toolbox Project operates, a context that features a growing interest in and commitment to cross-disciplinary research (CDR). We then develop an argument for the leading idea behind this effort, namely, that philosophical dialogue can improve cross-disciplinary science by effecting epistemic changes that lead to better group communication. On the heels of this argument, we describe our approach and its output; in particular, we emphasize the Toolbox instrument that generates philosophical dialogue and the Toolbox workshop in which that dialogue takes place. Together, these constitute a philosophical intervention into the life of CDR teams. We conclude by considering the philosophical implications of this intervention.
ISSN:0039-7857
1573-0964
DOI:10.1007/s11229-012-0175-y