Open Science and Epistemic Diversity: Friends or Foes?

2022/05/25 by Sabina Leonelli · 1 voice · 10 citations
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Data Analysis and Archiving #Philosophy and History of Science

paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/psa.2022.45

openalex publication_date 2022/05/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

Abstract I argue that Open Science as currently conceptualized and implemented does not take sufficient account of epistemic diversity within research. I use three case studies to exemplify how Open Science threatens to privilege some forms of inquiry over others, thus exasperating divides within and across systems of practice, and overlooking important sources and forms of epistemic diversity. Building on insights from pluralist philosophy, I then identify four aspects of diverse research practices that should serve as reference points for debates around Open Science: (1) specificity to local conditions, (2) entrenchment within repertoires, (3) permeability to newcomers, and (4) demarcation strategies.

Citations

• Repertoires: A post-Kuhnian perspective on scientific change and collaborative research

Cited by

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• The Library and the Database: Contrasting Expectations in Two Imaginaries for the Research Literature
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• Open at the Level of (Para)text: Critical Intertextuality and Discursive Notation as Open Research Practices in the Humanities
• Bio-Ontologies, Epistemic Diversity, and Epistemic Justice: Data Curation and the Case Against ‘Excellence’
• Universal Mandates vs. Contextual Realities: A Scoping Review of Ethical Tensions and Power Asymmetries in Global Open Science
• Open Science, Health Data and Epistemic Harms: A Multidisciplinary Reflection

Discussions

• For a good discussion of this aspect, see "Open Science and Epistemic Diversity: Friends or Foes?", by @sabinaleonelli.bsky.social (doi.org/10.1017/psa....) [bsky, 2 points, 0 comments]

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