Collection
The Philosophy of Experiments
Empirical constraints are pivotal in the development and assessment of scientific theories, with experimentation being the quintessential arbiter of science. Despite their fundamental role, experiments only became the subject of serious philosophical analysis relatively late. It was through the works of authors such as Ian Hacking, Allan Franklin, David Gooding, Hans Radder or Peter Galison that experimentation grew into a dedicated topic in its own right during the 1980ies and 1990ies. However, while many classical works from that period focused on traditional laboratory experiments, cutting-edge research in fields like high-energy physics, astrophysics or cosmology present distinct challenges. Experiments are not only hard to come by in these areas, but the assessment of their epistemic significance usually relies on a multi-layered embedding in wider conceptual reasoning. In addition to traditional experiments in laboratory settings, physics and cosmology also heavily rely on astrophysical observations, essentially historical data, to constrain and test their theories. More recently, analogue experiments—such as fluid models of “black holes“ built in the laboratory—have emerged as potential means of confirming a theory. These experiments share an apparent similarity with simulations and material models. Lastly, we are currently witnessing an unprecedented surge in the use of artificial intelligence in the design and realization of experimental practices, with consequences that are still hard to foresee.
Editors
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Harald A. Wiltsche
Harald A. Wiltsche is Professor for Philosophy of Science at Linköping University and works primarily in the areas of general philosophy of science (with a focus on the physical sciences), history of science, and phenomenology. He has published extensively on these topics and was one of the organizers of the “The Philosophy of Experiment” workshop held in Stockholm in November 2023. Alongside Crowther, Schindler, and Dawid, he is a co-founder of the Nordic Network for Philosophy of Physics.
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Karen Crowther
Karen Crowther is Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Oslo. Her research is primarily in the philosophy of physics and philosophy of science. One of her research interests concerns the difference between experiment, analogue experiments and simulations, and the limitations on experimental knowledge. Alongside Dawid, Wiltsche and Schindler, she is a co-founder of the Nordic Network for Philosophy of Physics.
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Richard Dawid
Richard Dawid is Professor for Philosophy of Science at Stockholm University. He works on the philosophy of physics and the general philosophy of science. One focus of his research is the relation between experimental results and theory assessment. He was one of the organizers of the “The Philosophy of Experiment” workshop held in Stockholm in November 2023. Alongside Crowther, Wiltsche and Schindler, he is a co-founder of the Nordic Network for Philosophy of Physics.
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Samuel Schindler
Samuel Schindler is Associate Professor for Philosophy of Science at Aarhus University. He mostly works on general issues in the philosophy of science with a focus on theory assessment, experiments, discovery, and realism. He has also worked on issues in experimental philosophy. He organized the first workshop in the Nordic Network for Philosophy of Physics in Aarhus in 2022. He is a founding member of the workshop series “Philosophy of Experiment (PSX)”, which reaches back to 2010. He has served as program committee for most of the workshops organized in this series and organized the second workshop on that series in 2012 in Konstanz.
