The “water memory affair”. The epistemic structure of a scientific controversy
Language
en
Chapitre d'ouvrage
This item was published in
Controversies in the Contemporary World, Controversies in the Contemporary World. 2019 n° 15, p. 279-295
John Benjamins Publishing Company
English Abstract
In the sociology of science, certain authors claim that the analysis of controversies may take place in an analytical framework which states that science is not an activity that is regulated by shared standards and that ...Read more >
In the sociology of science, certain authors claim that the analysis of controversies may take place in an analytical framework which states that science is not an activity that is regulated by shared standards and that nature may play only a marginal role in the assessment and validation of scientific knowledge. From the case of the water memory controversy, we will show that one of the conditions determining the possibility of scientific debates relates to the existence of an epistemic ethos constituted of three norms (realism, coherentism and skepticism). These norms frame argumentative exchanges. Moreover, the aporias of the empirical sub-determination of controversies will be highlighted by discussing in particular the argument of the experimenter’s regress.Read less <
English Keywords
realism
epistemic ethos
scientific field
water memory
skepticism
coherentism
Benveniste
Origin
Hal imported