There is a fantastic 24 part CBC podcast called How to think about science mp3 format here. It interviews 24 different research scientists and philosophy of science experts on the history and different views of both the scientific process, historical trends and the role of science in society. It is beyond well worth the time to listen to.
I have found that the series confirms what scientists have known already: Researchers rarely behave differently as a group than any other profession, yet they are presented as a non biased objective homogeneous group by most (Of course there are always outliers). Indeed the sciences are much more social than most would indicate and I think as you point out peer review indicates “social networking” best.
This is nothing new, after all, theories and their acceptance have meant nothing without a strong group of well respected researchers around it.
There is a fantastic 24 part CBC podcast called How to think about science mp3 format here. It interviews 24 different research scientists and philosophy of science experts on the history and different views of both the scientific process, historical trends and the role of science in society. It is beyond well worth the time to listen to.
I have found that the series confirms what scientists have known already: Researchers rarely behave differently as a group than any other profession, yet they are presented as a non biased objective homogeneous group by most (Of course there are always outliers). Indeed the sciences are much more social than most would indicate and I think as you point out peer review indicates “social networking” best.
This is nothing new, after all, theories and their acceptance have meant nothing without a strong group of well respected researchers around it.
I vigorously second the recommendation for How to Think About Science.
EDIT: removed the acronym (HTTAS). Sometimes trying to save time results in a net loss… :(
What is HTTAS?
From the preceding comment, I’m guessing that it’s How to think about science.