Social and cognitive diversity in science: introduction

Brief communication: Sea-level projections, adaptation planning, and actionable science

“…Although space does not allow us to defend these arguments in detail, they are consistent with recent work in the philosophy of science (see, e.g., the overviews by Longino (2019) and Rolin et al (2023)) and with our own experience of doing science and observing scientists. We think Longino's analysis is especially relevant for climate science and adaptation planning.…”

“…The critical treatment of ideas after publication is just as important, because it allows other scientists to challenge background assumptions, assess how well the current evidence supports a hypothesis, and gather new evidence that can confirm or refute it. This critical treatment requires cognitive diversity-that is, a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, research skills, and problem-solving strategies (Rolin et al, 2023). As different points of view are offered and heard, the community can sift out individual biases and reach a more objective consensus.…”

Costs and Benefits of Diverse Plurality in Economics

“…While the cost side of plurality and diversity has been occasionally mentioned in the literature, it has not been previously analyzed in a focused and systematic manner (see e.g., Kitcher 1993;Rolin et al 2023; and in the case of economics, Mäki 1999;De Langhe 2010;Zamora Bonilla 2012;Gräbner and Strunk 2020;Ambrosino, Cedrini, and Davis 2021). Here we propose doing just that, offering a programmatic opening for a systematic analysis.…”

“…The calls for pluralism receive support from philosophers of science. It has become widely accepted that various sorts of plurality and diversity may yield epistemic benefits for both the natural and social sciences (see e.g., Rolin 2019;Rolin et al 2023). Many economic pluralists have noticed this, and so pluralist accounts of science such as those by Helen Longino (2002), Hasok Chang (2012), and Ronald Giere (2006) have secured a place as popular references in the pluralism-in-economics literature.…”

“…. See the recent Synthese topical collection "Social and Cognitive Diversity in Science" (especiallyRolin et al 2023), for an up-to-date overview of the discussion on types of diversity not discussed in this paper.…”