Epistemology – Marianne van Panhuys: « Beyond the Risk of Error: A philosophical approach to experimental uncertainties in particle physics »

Experiments in particle physics rely on a complex instrumental and computational chain, which raises epistemological questions about the status of the data produced. In this seminar, I propose an analysis through the notion of epistemic risks, meaning the risks induced by the effects of uncertainty on the production of knowledge. I distinguish between inductive risk, which is the risk of error when reasoning from data to an empirical conclusion, and other kinds of risks that arise upstream, for example through methodological choices. Based on a case study of top quark physics, I show how these risks interact and shape the empirical robustness of experimental results. This approach highlights the pragmatic and value-laden dimension of scientific practices in particle physics and opens new perspectives for philosophical debates on values in science.

https://indico.in2p3.fr/event/36451/