TY - JOUR

T1 - Epistemic Interests and the Objectivity of Inquiry

AU - Wilholt, Torsten

N1 - Funding Information: I am grateful for having had the opportunity to present predecessor versions of bits and pieces of this paper at the following workshops and conferences, and in each case thank participants for helpful feedback: Biases in Science (Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy, 2019), Scientific Authority & Scientific Fraud (Universitat Aut?noma de Barcelona, 2016), SPSP 2016 (Glassboro, NJ, 2016), GWP2016 (D?sseldorf, 2016), Values and Theories (ZiF, Bielefeld, 2015). I would also like to express my gratitude for helpful comments and suggestions I received during the review process for this journal. Leonie Wiemeyer proofread the paper for linguistic quality; she deserves thanks for numerous improvements.

PY - 2022/2

Y1 - 2022/2

N2 - This paper advocates for making epistemic interests a central object of philosophical analysis in epistemology and philosophy of science. It is argued that the importance of epistemic interests derives from their fundamental importance for the notion of objectivity. Epistemic interests are defined as individuated by a set of objectives, each of which represents a dimension of the search for truth. Among these dimensions, specificity, sensitivity, and productivity (the rate at which results are delivered per unit of time) are discussed in detail. It is argued that the relevance of productivity is often overlooked in debates about the ends and means of science. A definition of the objectivity of inquiry is proposed that takes the notion of epistemic interest as its starting point.

AB - This paper advocates for making epistemic interests a central object of philosophical analysis in epistemology and philosophy of science. It is argued that the importance of epistemic interests derives from their fundamental importance for the notion of objectivity. Epistemic interests are defined as individuated by a set of objectives, each of which represents a dimension of the search for truth. Among these dimensions, specificity, sensitivity, and productivity (the rate at which results are delivered per unit of time) are discussed in detail. It is argued that the relevance of productivity is often overlooked in debates about the ends and means of science. A definition of the objectivity of inquiry is proposed that takes the notion of epistemic interest as its starting point.

KW - Epistemic interest

KW - Objectivity

KW - Science and values

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120612492&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.11.009

DO - 10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.11.009

M3 - Article

VL - 91

SP - 86

EP - 93

JO - Studies in history and philosophy of science

JF - Studies in history and philosophy of science

SN - 0039-3681

ER -