Nancy J. Nersessian – författare

Science as Psychology reveals the complexity and richness of rationality by demonstrating how social relationships, emotion, culture, and identity are implicated in the problem-solving practices of laboratory scientists. In this study, the authors gather and analyze interview and observational data from innovation-focused laboratories in the engineering sciences to show how the complex practices of laboratory research scientists provide rich psychological insights, and how a better understanding of science practice facilitates understanding of human beings more generally. The study focuses not on dismantling the rational core of scientific practice, but on illustrating how social, personal, and cognitive processes are intricately woven together in scientific thinking. The book is thus a contribution to science studies, the psychology of science, and general psychology.

Science as Psychology reveals the complexity and richness of rationality by demonstrating how social relationships, emotion, culture, and identity are implicated in the problem-solving practices of laboratory scientists. In this study, the authors gather and analyze interview and observational data from innovation-focused laboratories in the engineering sciences to show how the complex practices of laboratory research scientists provide rich psychological insights, and how a better understanding of science practice facilitates understanding of human beings more generally. The study focuses not on dismantling the rational core of scientific practice, but on illustrating how social, personal, and cognitive processes are intricately woven together in scientific thinking. The book is thus a contribution to science studies, the psychology of science, and general psychology.

What does 'being interdisciplinary' mean for the inquirer, the scholar who embarks on an interdisciplinary path? In a clear and engaging style, Nancy J. Nersessian and Lisa M. Osbeck present a unique and in-depth qualitative study of interdisciplinary inquiry from the perspective of those who pursue it. Drawing on original interviews with distinguished interdisciplinarians - including scientists, engineers, humanists, designers, and artists - the book offers rich insight into how interdisciplinary practice shapes and reflects the intellectual, social, emotional, and personal lives of its practitioners. The chapters highlight how such engagement transforms identities and sociocultural structures while advancing intellectual and practical aims. For researchers, educators, and administrators, the volume offers a rare, deeply human portrait of what it actually means to live an interdisciplinary academic life. It also presents participants' advice on best practices for embarking on interdisciplinary careers, along with the authors' analysis of the virtues required for effective interdisciplinary work.

What does 'being interdisciplinary' mean for the inquirer, the scholar who embarks on an interdisciplinary path? In a clear and engaging style, Nancy J. Nersessian and Lisa M. Osbeck present a unique and in-depth qualitative study of interdisciplinary inquiry from the perspective of those who pursue it. Drawing on original interviews with distinguished interdisciplinarians - including scientists, engineers, humanists, designers, and artists - the book offers rich insight into how interdisciplinary practice shapes and reflects the intellectual, social, emotional, and personal lives of its practitioners. The chapters highlight how such engagement transforms identities and sociocultural structures while advancing intellectual and practical aims. For researchers, educators, and administrators, the volume offers a rare, deeply human portrait of what it actually means to live an interdisciplinary academic life. It also presents participants' advice on best practices for embarking on interdisciplinary careers, along with the authors' analysis of the virtues required for effective interdisciplinary work.

The book examines the emerging approach of using qualitative methods, such as interviews and field observations, in the philosophy of science. Qualitative methods are gaining popularity among philosophers of science as more and more scholars are resorting to empirical work in their study of scientific practices. At the same time, the results produced through empirical work are quite different from those gained through the kind of introspective conceptual analysis more typical of philosophy. This volume explores the benefits and challenges of an empirical philosophy of science and addresses questions such as: What do philosophers gain from empirical work? How can empirical research help to develop philosophical concepts? How do we integrate philosophical frameworks and empirical research? What constraints do we accept when choosing an empirical approach? What constraints does a pronounced theoretical focus impose on empirical work? Nine experts discuss their thoughts and empirical results in the chapters of this book with the aim of providing readers with an answer to these questions.