Epistemology of Science

I have often thought that epistemologists and philosophers of science should be in greater dialogue. Consequently, much of my work straddles both fields. I frequently use epistemological concepts to illuminate aspects of science and vice versa. My most recent work in this area focuses on the social epistemology of science and how science illuminates what is of epistemic value. My earlier work on understanding and inference to the best explanation was also informed by both philosophical subfields.

Conferences Organized

With several others, I co-organized an Epistemology of Science Workshop in Pittsburgh (September 2019) that is intended to cultivate greater dialogue between epistemologists and philosophers of science. After a pandemic-fueled hiatus, it appears that this workshop will be making a comeback in 2024 in UC San Diego. Stay tuned!

Articles and Chapters

in progress. Paper on scientific understanding and collective agents. (with Sandy Goldberg)
2022. Socio-functional foundations in science: the case of measurement. Philosophical Issues. 32 (1): 382-397. (with Sandy Goldberg)
2022. Coherence in science: a social approach. Philosophical Studies. 179 (12):3489-3509. (with Sandy Goldberg)
2020. Understanding, truth, and epistemic goals. Philosophy of Science. 87 (5): 944-956.
2020. Explanatory obligations. Episteme. 17 (3): 384-401. (with Jared Millson)
2020. Perspectives, questions, and epistemic value. In Knowledge from a Human Point of View, edited by M. Massimi and A. Cretu, 87-106. Cham: Springer. (with Jared Millson)
2019. Idealizations and understanding: much ado about nothing? Australasian Journal of Philosophy 97 (4): 673-689. (with Emily Sullivan)
2019. Non-factive understanding: a statement and defense. Journal for General Philosophy of Science. 50 (3): 345-365. (with Yannick Doyle, Spencer Egan, and Noah Graham)
2017. Inference to the Best Explanation: Fundamentalism's Failures. In Best Explanations: New Essays on Inference to the Best Explanation, edited by K. McCain and T. Poston, 80-96. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (with J. Millson and M. Risjord)
2016. Must understanding be coherent? In Explaining Understanding: New Perspectives from Epistemology and Philosophy of Science, edited by S. Grimm, C. Baumberger, and S. Ammon, 139-164. London: Routledge.
2015. Why pursue unification? a social-epistemological puzzle. Theoria 30 (3): 431-447. (with Randall Harp)
2013. Understanding, grasping, and luck. Episteme 10(1): 1-17.
2013. Is understanding explanatory or objectual? Synthese 190(6): 1153-1171.
2011. Understanding, knowledge, and scientific antirealism. Grazer Philosophische Studien 83 (1): 93-112.
2010. Social constructivism and the aims of science. Social Epistemology. 24 (1): 45-61.