The Constitution of Science

C. Mantzavinos (University of Athens)

How can science be protected, by whom and at what level? If science is valued positively as the incubator of the most successful solutions to representational problems of reality as well as the basis of the most effective interventions in the natural and social world, then its constitutional foundations must be protected. The presentation will develop a specific normative outlook on science by introducing the idea of a ‘Constitution of Science’. Scientific activities are special kinds of epistemic problem-solving activities unfolding in an institutional context. The scientific enterprise is a social process unfolding within an intricate institutional framework that structures the daily activities of scientists and shapes their outcomes. Those institutions of science which are of the highest generality make up the 'Constitution of Science' and are of fundamental importance for channellingthe scientific process effectively. I will offer a radical reorientation of the discussion on the role of values in science. My approach narrows the divide between the traditional philosophy of science which elaborates on the standards defining science as a truth-seeking enterprise, and the sociological, economic and political outlook of science which emphasizes the contingent nature of the enterprise. At the end I will propose five principles that should be adopted in order for science to be protected. The presentation will be based on my new book The Constitution of Science, Cambridge University Press, 2024.