Understanding Scientific Disagreement

Disagreement is ubiquitous: people, including scientists in all fields of knowledge, disagree about a wide variety of topics—from mundane facts about what’s the best way to reach the airport, to complex matters such as the degree of reliability of climate models. Clearly, disagreement plays a crucial role in virtually all our intellectual practices and can have significant social implications.

Disagreement is a fundamental aspect of both scientific and mathematical practices. Whereas disagreement among scientists is often perceived as a sign of weakness or lack of objectivity, it is, in fact, an essential component that fosters the robustness and inclusivity of scientific inquiry. Moreover, understanding the role and epistemic significance of disagreement within scientific practices is crucial for improving the dissemination of scientific results and significantly impacts science education.

This workshop aims to delve into the nature of scientific disagreement and its broader societal implications. The literature on the topic is expanding, but some core epistemological features of disagreement remain unclear, particularly in scientific contexts.

To deepen our understanding of scientific disagreement, we are organizing an interdisciplinary workshop titled “Understanding Scientific Disagreement” at the University of Bologna on September 23–24, 2024. This workshop is part of the PRIN–PNRR 2022 Funded Project “Understanding Scientific Disagreement and Its Impact on Society”, led by Filippo Ferrari (University of Bologna, PI) and Silvia De Toffoli (IUSS Pavia, Co-PI).