Serendipity and the History of the Philosophy of Science

Abstract

Samantha Copeland takes this chapter to delve into the history of philosophy of science, paying particular attention to the discussions around scientific discovery and the assumptions made by philosophers along the way about what parts of the discovery process can and cannot be studied. Copeland suggests that serendipity research might shed light on what has been left outside of philosophical investigation. She focusses in particular on the seeming ‘leap’ that scientists must take when discoveries happen, between a state of not-knowing to a state of recognizing the scientific value of an observation or event. Most philosophical accounts tend towards internalism (that is, assuming the important steps in discovery occur only in the mind), or the focus remains on what happens after an accident or chance encounter rather than on the encounter itself. Copeland offers an alternative interpretation from the perspective of her serendipity research, on what the interaction between chance and reason can tell us about scientific discovery more generally. That is, she argues, the intersection of chance and wisdom provides philosophy with the opportunity to better understand how our minds interact with the world to produce knowledge.