NOTCOM is a philosophical study of common notions, collective inquiry, and public dissemination strategies in seventeenth-century natural science, with special focus on the role of so-called “common notions.” It addresses from a historical perspective key contemporary ussies in contemporary philosophy and sociology of science about the collective and collaborative construction of scientific knowledge, and about public trust and participation in science. Using a ground-breaking transversal methodology, it studies: (1) epistemological models of consensus as they emerged from early modern controversies in logic, rhetoric, moral philosophy, theology and law, and how they were redeployed within natural philosophy; (2) methods of collective inquiry in early modern natural philosophy; (3) the role of consensus models and methods of collective inquiry in the public dissemination of early modern natural philosophy; (4) the contemporary relevance of early modern consensus models and methods of collective inquiry in relation to current philosophy of science and science communication studies.
Early modern collective natural scientific practices have, over the last half century, provided a rich field of study for the sociology and history of philosophy of science. Little attention has, however, been paid to the role that epistemological models of consensus articulated by early modern philosophers played for the methods governing those practices. Yet the period produced a wealth of such models, often in the context of doctrines of so-called common notions, which informed natural scientific methods of collective inquiry in myriad ways. These methods were moreover inextricably wound up with complex strategies for the broader public dissemination of science. Some of these models, methods, and dissemination strategies still have purchase today. More importantly, however, writing their history offers a narrative about philosophy, science, and society with a didactic potential that merits exploration. By combining these four dimensions—consensus models, collective methods, dissemination strategies, and contemporary relevance—NOTCOM sets out to explore the historical background to the contemporary notion of “scientific consensus.”
NOTCOM is conducted within the general framework of the Institut de Sciences Humaines et Sociales (INSHS) of the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), but is administratively shared between two INSHS units: (1) IHRIM at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, a mixed research unit dedicated to modern history of ideas in the period c. 1500–1900. (2) The Maison Française d’Oxford, a CNRS mixed research unit abroad, associated with Oxford University. The project employs, beside the principal investigator, post-doctoral researchers, a doctoral student, a digital humanities engineer, and a project manager.
