TILPS

Workshop on

Objectivity and the Practice of Science
5 October 2010

Tilburg University, The Netherlands

Science is arguably among our most successful and sophisticated epistemic endeavors. But how objective is it? Aren't scientists and their methods susceptible to all forms of bias? Traditionally, answers to this question have focused on the social construction of scientific knowledge. On the level of individual research, however, other questions might be more pressing: How objective are statistical inference tools? Can evidence-based medicine keep its promise to replace subjective assessments by hard facts? Is it possible to design and conduct a social science experiment that is not contaminated by the experimenter's research agenda? How does the concept of objectivity vary over different scientific disciplines? We invite contributions that address these and similar research questions on the objectivity of scientific research.