Workshop: Perspectives on Scientific Error

Workshop organized by the Department of Theoretical Philosophy

Recent studies reveal a high prevalence of error in published research. Theoretical arguments suggest that many published findings are false, and reports across fields show that many experiments do not replicate.

These errors raise important issues. From a practitioner’s perspective, errors mislead and slow down research projects. From a philosophical perspective, scientific error raises questions about the right forms of scientific inference, scientific progress and the reliability of science as a source of knowledge. From the perspective of the public, scientific error undermines the epistemic authority of science, and the degree to which policy-makers trust scientific experts.

Following the success of the first workshop, the second Perspectives on Scientific Error workshop will bring together an interdisciplinary group of researchers interested in issues of scientific error. Participants will share their views on how scientific errors can be detected and corrected, how they influence scientific communities, and the perception of science as a whole.

Invited speakers

• Anna Dreber (Stockholm School of Economics): Replications and Prediction Markets
• Richard Morey (University of Cardiff): Shaky Foundations: Statistics in the Scientific Reform Movement
• Jacob Stegenga (University of Cambridge): The New Problem of Old Evidence: P-hacking & Pre-analysis Plans

Tutorials

• Introduction to the philosophy of statistics - Jan Sprenger
• Introduction to (mis)applied statistics - Daniël Lakens

Programme, registration procedure

Workshop website Perspectives on Scientific Error

When & where?

29-30 October 2018
Het Kasteel, (room 1.04) Melkweg 1, Groningen