A Philosophy of Open Science for Diverse Research Environments

The Open Science Studies group is engaged in research, education and policy interventions to foster responsible, sustainable and socially engaged research and innovation around the globe. We are strongly committed to help bridge the gaps between social and academic life to foster planetary health, and particularly to ensure that research carried out by public institutions serves the needs of human communities and their ecosystems.

At the core of the Open Science Studies group is the PHIL_OS project (“A Philosophy of Open Science for Diverse Research Environments”, 2021–2026). PHIL_OS aims to develop an empirically grounded philosophy of open science that emphasises the diversity of research environments around the world and articulates the conditions under which open science can leverage such diversity to promote good research practice.

We are based in Munich, around the Chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where we are actively involved in developing the Public Science Lab and the Ethical Data Initiative (EDI) ; and in Exeter, at the Exeter Centre for the Study of the Life Sciences of the University of Exeter (UK), where this work started back in the 2010s.

   

News

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Sabina Leonelli discussed the ongoing work of the PHIL_OS project, as well as related new initiatives, such as the Ethical Data Initiative and the Public Science Lab in Munich, as part of a panel on the future of the philosophy of science. The panel, featuring also Heather Douglas and Holly Andersen, was organised and hosted by Alan Love as part of a major conference at the University of Minnesota in October 2024. Watch the video here: Round Table: Themes and Approaches 

Paola Castaño and Sabina Leonelli, in their publication, Interrogating and Monitoring Equitable Open Science, examined insights from four sessions held at the 2024 EASST/4S conference, mainly focusing on the challenges and proposed solutions in Open Science's equity and inclusivity. 

Emma Cavazzoni gave a talk “Sharing Data, Sharing Technologies: Data-Technology Communities in Haly.Id” at the Forum on Philosophy, Engineering, and Technology (fPET) (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 1719 September 2024).

Emma Cavazzoni was chosen as a participant of the 7th European Advanced School in the Philosophy of the Life Sciences (EASPLS), on the theme of Evidence in Biology and Medicine (Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, 9–12 September 2024)

Events

Our upcoming workshop, "Understanding Misinformation," brings together philosophers and social science and technology students to discuss what it means to be informed, particularly the problems relating to misinformation in relation to scientific research and its use as evidence for decision-making. Is misinformation a matter of disseminating "fake news" and false facts? Can we tackle misinformation by fixing the knowledge that is available online? We argue that understanding misinformation as the propagation of falsities and lies is counter-productive and problematic. Trying to "fix" misinformation by "telling the truth" is not helping to solve this serious problem. Hosted by the Chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology at TUM and supported by the European Research Council, the event will occur on 9 December 2024, between 15:30-18:00 (CET),  at KKV Hansa E.V. Briennerstr. 39, 80333 München. Discuss this thorny issue with us, and help pave the way to alternative solutions.

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The PHIL_OS project presented the “Openness and Inequity in Research” symposium at the New Orleans Philosophy of Science Association conference, November 14-20, 2024. The symposium featured contributions by Nathanael Sheehan, Rose Trappes, Carole Lee, Helen Longino, Rachel Ankeny, and Sabina Leonelli. It represented a significant stepping stone in the project’s conceptualization of injustice in open research systems. Check the program here: https://site.pheedloop.com/event/psa24/home

 

Project meetings

The project has monthly meetings open to collaborators around the world.