Scientific
Report
The workshop focused on the topic of understanding as an aim of science.
Both scientists and laypeople typically regard understanding as one of the most
important and highly valued aims of scientific research. But what precisely is
scientific understanding, and how is it achieved? These are philosophical
questions, and there is hardly any consensus about the answers. The aim of the
workshop was to advance the discussion about understanding as an aim of science
by bringing together philosophers of science and practicing scientists from
various scientific disciplines. The interdisciplinary nature of the workshop
was meant to provide philosophers of science with first-hand information about
scientific practice and about scientists’ criteria for understanding, and to
press scientists to reflect on the aims of their research activities and to
make their criteria for achieving understanding explicit.
The
workshop featured 20 invited speakers and 8 young scholars, and attracted a
further 19 registered attendees. Of all participants, 28 were based in the
Netherlands, while the remainder came from Belgium, Germany, Denmark, the UK,
France, Greece, Finland, the USA, and Canada. The interdisciplinary nature of
the workshop was reflected in the background of the participants, among whom were philosophers of science and scientists from a wide
variety of disciplines, ranging from physics to the social sciences.
Each
workshop day focused on a specific topic, and opened with a short introduction
to this topic by one of the organizers. The topics were:
·
Aims of
Science and the Place of Understanding
·
Theories
of Understanding I: Mechanism-Based Approaches
·
Theories
of Understanding II: Unification- and Reduction-Based Approaches
·
Simulations
and the Provision of Understanding
·
Understanding,
Imagination, and Visualization
Each
day featured three or four invited lectures, followed by ample discussion time.
In addition, there were plenary sessions to evaluate the progress made during
the workshop, a concluding wrap-up session, and short presentations by ‘young
scholars’ (PhD students or recent PhDs).
On
Tuesday, invited speaker Herman Verlinde (Princeton University) gave a public
lecture, “On the Emergence of Space and Gravity”, in the lunchtime lecture
series “This Week’s Discoveries” of the Faculty of Science. This lecture
attracted a large audience of faculty members and students and stimulated a
lively discussion.
The chief aim of the workshop, interdisciplinary discussion and research
on the nature of scientific understanding, was successfully realized. There was
much fruitful discussion and interaction between scientists and philosophers
with backgrounds in various scientific disciplines. Since ideas and
presuppositions regarding the nature of understanding and the ways it can be
achieved vary widely across disciplines, and since philosophers of science do not
usually interact with scientists on a day-to-day basis, the workshop offered a
unique opportunity for participants to widen their horizons and gain new
insights.
At a more practical level, the excellent facilities of
the Lorentz Center and the pleasant and efficient
support of its staff contributed enormously to the success of the workshop. The
Lorentz Center ‘home’, with office space for every
participant and a common room, creates an informal atmosphere that fosters
interaction and discussion between participants.
The abstracts and slides of all lecture presentations
are available on the website. A selection of the invited papers will be
published in a special issue of a philosophy of science journal, devoted to the
topic ‘Understanding without Explanation’.
We thank the Lorentz Center, in particular Pauline
Vincenten and Mieke Schutte, for the excellent local organization and
facilities, and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities
and Social Sciences (NIAS) for supporting the workshop as part of the Lorentz
Fellowship 2009–2010. Finally, we thank the Lorentz Center, NIAS, and the
Institute of Philosophy, Leiden University, for financial support.
Henk W. de Regt (VU University Amsterdam / NIAS)
James W. McAllister (Leiden University)