Crowdsourced science: sociotechnical epistemology in the e-research paradigm.

Recent years have seen a surge in online collaboration between experts and amateurs on scientific research. In this article, we analyse the epistemological implications of these crowdsourced projects, with a focus on Zooniverse, the world's largest citizen science web portal. We use quantitative met...

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Publicado en:Synthese Vol. 195; no. 2; pp. 741 - 765
Autores principales: Watson, David, Floridi, Luciano
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Springer Nature Feb2018
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Crowdsourced science: sociotechnical epistemology in the e-research paradigm.
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          Watson, David
          Floridi, Luciano
        affil:
          Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
          Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
      su:
        Sociotechnical systems
        Human-machine systems
        Theory of knowledge
        Citizen science
        Quantitative research
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        subj:
          Sociotechnical systems
          Human-machine systems
          Theory of knowledge
          Citizen science
          Quantitative research
      keyword:
        Bayesian confirmation theory
        Epistemic logic
        Information and communication technology (ICT)
        Philosophy of information
        Social epistemology
        Zooniverse
      ab: Recent years have seen a surge in online collaboration between experts and amateurs on scientific research. In this article, we analyse the epistemological implications of these crowdsourced projects, with a focus on Zooniverse, the world's largest citizen science web portal. We use quantitative methods to evaluate the platform's success in producing large volumes of observation statements and high impact scientific discoveries relative to more conventional means of data processing. Through empirical evidence, Bayesian reasoning, and conceptual analysis, we show how information and communication technologies enhance the reliability, scalability, and connectivity of crowdsourced e-research, giving online citizen science projects powerful epistemic advantages over more traditional modes of scientific investigation. These results highlight the essential role played by technologically mediated social interaction in contemporary knowledge production. We conclude by calling for an explicitly sociotechnical turn in the philosophy of science that combines insights from statistics and logic to analyse the latest developments in scientific research.
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    language: English
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