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The Science of Science

LearningToWalk 3y ago
There’s an emerging scientific discipline dedicated to the study of science itself.
- ofrzeta 3y ago
  Is it? I thought "theory of science" was already a thing, cf. Auguste Comte, Gaston Bachelard, Thomas S. Kuhn, Paul Feyerabend, Alan Chalmers and many others. How is this different?
  - lvncelot 3y ago
    Absolutely agree with your list and would add Karl Popper to it.
    - LearningToWalk 3y ago
      To be sure, I also agree, tried to clarify what I meant in previous answer in this thread
    - agumonkey 3y ago
      epistemology right ?
      - LearningToWalk 3y ago
        well, to a certain extent. Epistemology is the theory of knowledge, whereas the "Science of science" deals on a more concrete level with issues around how knowledge is actually produced within academia. The book I'm referring to pretty much reads as nitty-gritty career advice for researchers.
  - LearningToWalk 3y ago
    good point, the term is taken from a recent book (link in post), which describes the Science of Science as, and I quote: an emerging interdisciplinary field that relies on big data to unveil the reproducible patterns that govern individual scientific careers and the workings of science. It explores the roots of scientific impact, the role of productivity and creativity, when and what kind of collaborations are effective, the impact of failure and success in a scientific career, and what metrics can tell us about the fundamental workings of science. The book relies on data to draw actionable insights, which can be applied by individuals to further their career or decision makers to enhance the role of science in society.
smokel 3y ago
At first I thought this was about "science studies", but it turns out that the "science of science" (or "metascience") differs from that. Apparently, "science studies" investigates all of science, including sociological aspects, whereas metascience attempts to find ways to improve science by scientific methods. I would be interested to hear from those more knowledgeable how these two domains interact.

There’s an emerging scientific discipline dedicated to the study of science itself.

ofrzeta 3y ago
Is it? I thought "theory of science" was already a thing, cf. Auguste Comte, Gaston Bachelard, Thomas S. Kuhn, Paul Feyerabend, Alan Chalmers and many others. How is this different?
- lvncelot 3y ago
  Absolutely agree with your list and would add Karl Popper to it.
  - LearningToWalk 3y ago
    To be sure, I also agree, tried to clarify what I meant in previous answer in this thread
  - agumonkey 3y ago
    epistemology right ?
    - LearningToWalk 3y ago
      well, to a certain extent. Epistemology is the theory of knowledge, whereas the "Science of science" deals on a more concrete level with issues around how knowledge is actually produced within academia. The book I'm referring to pretty much reads as nitty-gritty career advice for researchers.
- LearningToWalk 3y ago
  good point, the term is taken from a recent book (link in post), which describes the Science of Science as, and I quote: an emerging interdisciplinary field that relies on big data to unveil the reproducible patterns that govern individual scientific careers and the workings of science. It explores the roots of scientific impact, the role of productivity and creativity, when and what kind of collaborations are effective, the impact of failure and success in a scientific career, and what metrics can tell us about the fundamental workings of science. The book relies on data to draw actionable insights, which can be applied by individuals to further their career or decision makers to enhance the role of science in society.

At first I thought this was about "science studies", but it turns out that the "science of science" (or "metascience") differs from that. Apparently, "science studies" investigates all of science, including sociological aspects, whereas metascience attempts to find ways to improve science by scientific methods. I would be interested to hear from those more knowledgeable how these two domains interact.