This post outlines an emerging direction in my thinking and which I believe needs to be further developed: a sociology of knowledge practices. This sociology would mobilise social theory and adopt a view of humans consistent with sociological understandings in seeking to better understand a particular set of human activities: ‘knowledge practices.’ Two recent theoretical … [Read more…]
A couple of years ago a couple of cognitive scientists – Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber – published a provocative book called The Enigma of Reason which seeks to both engage with puzzles regarding human reason and theorise the cognitive mechanism(s) involved. In my PhD thesis I suggested that their findings regarding human reason are … [Read more…]
I’m currently reading Belief: What It Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions Are So Compelling by James E. Alcock and I noted with interest that some key chapters address knowledge practices and/or issues and factors relevant to them: Chapter 2 notes the ways cognitive ‘schemas’ often automatically fill in the gaps when responding to … [Read more…]
Though my doctoral research began as a fairly straightforward impact evaluation of forward-looking interventions (which I call “prospective exercises”), it evolved into a more complex piece of research and theory-building. Two of the ideas that emerged from this broader inquiry are: To understand the use and impacts of a prospective exercise (or similar future-oriented research) … [Read more…]
One of my intellectual side projects is to more fully develop sociological conceptions of knowledge practices. This inquiry builds on some of the analysis of prospective knowledge practices presented in my PhD thesis and will hopefully also inform other current work (e.g. work on the roles and effects of knowledge practices in transition processes). Below … [Read more…]
I recently re-read Fligstein et al’s paper ‘Seeing Like the Fed’ which asks: “Why was the FOMC [Federal Open Market Committee that sets monetary policy in the USA] so sanguine in its economic projections?” That is, why were the FOMC “so slow to recognize the impending collapse of the financial system [during the GFC] and … [Read more…]
I discovered the philosopher Cheryl Misak (link) whilst working on my PhD. Whilst her book Cambridge Pragmatism is mainly intended as a rewriting of the history of pragmatist philosophy, I read it as part of my efforts to gain a stronger understanding of the pragmatist philosophical tradition. Two key opening statements in the Preface that … [Read more…]
I’ve been pondering my career options and one trend of interest is the increasing focus on assessing the impact of research activities and investments (link, link, link, link). These assessments are also seen as being inherently challenging (e.g. see link), often highly flawed, and there are important debates about who should do such evaluations and … [Read more…]
The concept of knowledge practices is increasingly central to much of my research, thinking and work and, as part of this, I’m developing a list a practices-of-interest. Some of these practices are also innovation-oriented and not only used for producing or appraising knowledge or for facilitating the use (or “uptake”) of findings/scientific evidence. I’m also … [Read more…]