On Discovery
On Discovery
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How is new knowledge produced in the social, natural, and biomedical sciences? What is the role of serendipity versus planning? How has technology changed knowledge production, from AI to large datasets? This book presents insights into the pursuit of new knowledge from fields as diverse as medicine, engineering, linguistics, and theology. Over twenty researchers and scientists describe the modalities of discovery in their disciplines, offering a diverse survey of the social norms and politics of knowledge. Written in nontechnical language, this collection is designed to make research practices from widely different domains comprehensible to each other. A generative synthesis in the final chapter offers new insights into how discovery happens and its consequences for science and society. On Discovery will be essential reading for anyone interested in philosophical and social dimensions of knowledge.
- Offers a nontechnical introduction to processes of knowledge production from disciplines that are otherwise completely separate from each other
- Presents a window into the discovery processes of individual researchers
- Includes a concluding chapter and generative synthesis, positing a new way of thinking about discovery in contemporary science
Reviews & endorsements
‘This insightful and thought-provoking book sheds light on the hidden processes of knowledge production, offering a rare glimpse into how scholars navigate research and discovery. With its cross-disciplinary approach, it is an invaluable guide for researchers seeking to deepen their understanding of disciplinary knowledge and its ethical and political implications across fields.’ Michalinos Zembylas, Professor of Education, Open University of Cyprus
‘Jonathan Jansen has developed an important book for those engaging in research. He demonstrates the centrality of creating new knowledge through research and discovery to addressing the dilemmas, problems and conflict of life and politics today and the necessity of generating new knowledge and understandings if we are to develop our society and world. This book will engage, fascinate and refresh.’ Colleen McLaughlin, Emeritus Professor of Education, University of Cambridge
‘I strongly recommend this very readable and significant book to all who are willing to widen their view, consiliently, to discover the world and its inhabitants and constituents in all their glory and complexity. They will agree with Jansen that the intrinsic value of research, grounded in deep knowledge and reflection and driven by curiosity, is its own reward irrespective of discipline.’ Wieland Gevers, South African Journal of Science
Product details
- Published: May 2025
- Format: Hardback
- ISBN: 9781009596589
- Length: 325 pages
- Dimensions: 229 × 152 × 19 mm
- Weight: 0.639kg
- Availability: Available
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction: on the question of discovery Jonathan Jansen
- 2. Physics: extracting meaning from models Irvy Gledhill
- 3. Philosophy: making philosophical discoveries Thaddeus Metz
- 4. Psychology: discovery, solidarity and politics in psychology Leslie Swartz
- 5. Biochemistry: creating new knowledge in the field of applied biochemistry Stephanie Burton
- 6. Astronomy: discovering the stars Justin Jonas
- 7. Dentistry: extracting knowledge from communities Stephen James Heinrich Hendricks
- 8. Surgery: what the hands know Elmi Muller
- 9. Theology: surfacing after being swallowed in the book of Jonah Juliana Claassens
- 10. Architecture: authority, identity, and place in creating new knowledge Philippa Tumubweinee
- 11. Palaeontology: the knowledge in the bones Anusuya Chinsamy Turan
- 12. Music: on performing and discovering Mozart Stephanus Muller
- 13. Law: three graces – certainty, originality, and justice Daniel Visser
- 14. Genetics: discovering human origins through DNA Himla Soodyall
- 15. Classics: inventio – Archimedes, Cicero and me Grant Parker
- 16. Archaeology: archaeology as disaggregation and fragmentation of knowledge Innocent Pikirayi
- 17. History: discovering social histories from the provinces Neil Roos
- 18. Linguistics: discovery procedures in language and linguistic research Rajend Mesthrie
- 19. Public health: following the data to save lives Quarraisha Abdool Karim
- 20. Engineering: the search for a black cat in a dark room Thokozani Majozi
- 21. Microbiology: discovering microbes Thulani Makhalanyane
- 22. Conclusion: the discovery of new knowledge – an integrative synthesis Jonathan Jansen.
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