Periodic Reporting for period 4 - Objectivity (Making Scientific Inferences More Objective)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2019-05-01 al 2021-08-31
The project rethinks the notion of objectivity in science and uses its insights in order to develop more objective inference tools in three important domains of scientific reasoning: statistical hypothesis testing, inference about cause-effect relations, and inference to the best explanation of a phenomenon. It contributes to a more reliable, robust and objective science that can be trusted by policy-makers and the general public alike.
We then use our conceptual analysis of scientific objectivity to develop a new logic of hypothesis testing that balances philosophical considerations with practical requirements. Specifically, we show how our proposals for better statistical inference and a new credit reward system in science can help to overcome the replication crisis in science.
From a practical point of view, another important result is that we have given an operational meaning to objectivity in inference: that is, we have elaborated a checklist for the experimenter that he or she should follow when striving for objectivity in inference (e.g. in the design and analysis of experiments). Thus we have shown that quite abstract philosophical analysis is not only important for specialists, but it has a positive impact on very practical questions, too.