Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NOTCOM (The Common Notion. Science and Consensus in the Seventeenth Century)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-01-01 do 2025-06-30
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.
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.
NOTCOM is an ambitious attempt to correlate, compare, and contrast the consensus models of early modern social epistemology with corresponding methods and practices of collective inquiry among early modern natural philosophers and scientists. In order to do that, NOTCOM sets out to accomplish two main tasks:
1/ Early modern theories of common notions have not been studied as a unified field of historical and philosophical investigation, but constitute a privileged place for inquiring into the social epistemology of early modern science and philosophy. NOTCOM sets out to show how common notions operate under a variety of different labels—axioms, hypotheses, prolepses, anticipations, preconceptions, pre-notions, presumptions, etc.—everywhere in early modern philosophical controversies, including natural philosophical controversies, as shared background assumptions and common principles of inquiry. Studying these theories will yield a cartography of early modern theories of collective and collaborative science, with particular emphasis on the connections between group epistemology and scientific method.
2/ NOTCOM examines a vast corpus of seventeenth-century texts and creates a thematically structured and searchable database of texts, passages, and citations directly addressing the NOTCOM research themes, focusing on minutes or proceedings from scientific societies and academies, learned correspondences, and scientific journals. This work will provide an extended textual basis for studying collective and collaborative practices in early modern science.
1/ Early modern theories of common notions have not been studied as a unified field of historical and philosophical investigation, but constitute a privileged place for inquiring into the social epistemology of early modern science and philosophy. NOTCOM sets out to show how common notions operate under a variety of different labels—axioms, hypotheses, prolepses, anticipations, preconceptions, pre-notions, presumptions, etc.—everywhere in early modern philosophical controversies, including natural philosophical controversies, as shared background assumptions and common principles of inquiry. Studying these theories will yield a cartography of early modern theories of collective and collaborative science, with particular emphasis on the connections between group epistemology and scientific method.
2/ NOTCOM examines a vast corpus of seventeenth-century texts and creates a thematically structured and searchable database of texts, passages, and citations directly addressing the NOTCOM research themes, focusing on minutes or proceedings from scientific societies and academies, learned correspondences, and scientific journals. This work will provide an extended textual basis for studying collective and collaborative practices in early modern science.
NOTCOM core results are presented in two main forms, namely, a database, scientific publications. It moreover aims at creating results on an institutional level.
1/ The database is conceived as an organised and searchable set of collective research notes in the form of excerpts from three types of texts: minutes or proceedings from early modern scientific societies or academies; correspondences of key mediators in the early modern natural scientific communities; early modern journals dedicated to natural science. The collection is not intended to be systematic, exhaustive, or complete. It is conceived as a set of collective research notes that reflect the interests, associations, and inclinations of NOTCOM researchers individually and NOTCOM as a group. It responds to a concern for scientific accountability by providing open access to an important part of the project’s raw data.
2/ The scientific publications take the form of articles in peer-reviewed journals, chapters in edited volumes, edited volumes and special journal issues, and monographs. In addition to the database and peer-reviewed publications, the project moreover produces content for academics working in other areas and for the broader public in the form of blogposts, podcasts, and exhibitions. When applicable, online access to these outputs are provided via the project website. Through these results, NOTCOM aims at substantially revising the standard accounts of early modern epistemology, gaining new understanding of the relation between theory and practice of early modern natural philosophy and science, and offering an innovative, historical approach to the understanding of the social epistemology and collective practices of scientific inquiry.
3/ Finally, NOTCOM innovates by creating a unique trans-national research structure, implemented simultaneously on sites in Lyon and in Oxford. It seeks to create a dynamic and international research environment that facilitates networking, fosters international collaboration, and helps create and consolidate bilateral research structures between France and the United Kingdom. NOTCOM organises numerous seminars, workshops and conferences, in Oxford, Lyon and elsewhere, often in collaboration with other projects and institutions.
1/ The database is conceived as an organised and searchable set of collective research notes in the form of excerpts from three types of texts: minutes or proceedings from early modern scientific societies or academies; correspondences of key mediators in the early modern natural scientific communities; early modern journals dedicated to natural science. The collection is not intended to be systematic, exhaustive, or complete. It is conceived as a set of collective research notes that reflect the interests, associations, and inclinations of NOTCOM researchers individually and NOTCOM as a group. It responds to a concern for scientific accountability by providing open access to an important part of the project’s raw data.
2/ The scientific publications take the form of articles in peer-reviewed journals, chapters in edited volumes, edited volumes and special journal issues, and monographs. In addition to the database and peer-reviewed publications, the project moreover produces content for academics working in other areas and for the broader public in the form of blogposts, podcasts, and exhibitions. When applicable, online access to these outputs are provided via the project website. Through these results, NOTCOM aims at substantially revising the standard accounts of early modern epistemology, gaining new understanding of the relation between theory and practice of early modern natural philosophy and science, and offering an innovative, historical approach to the understanding of the social epistemology and collective practices of scientific inquiry.
3/ Finally, NOTCOM innovates by creating a unique trans-national research structure, implemented simultaneously on sites in Lyon and in Oxford. It seeks to create a dynamic and international research environment that facilitates networking, fosters international collaboration, and helps create and consolidate bilateral research structures between France and the United Kingdom. NOTCOM organises numerous seminars, workshops and conferences, in Oxford, Lyon and elsewhere, often in collaboration with other projects and institutions.