The Role of Theory

According to Aristotle, theory is the highest, rational form of knowledge. But do we need theories at all, given the new capabilities of AI to machine integrate massive amounts of data? The book is based on a two-day symposium co-hosted by the Robert K. Merton Center for Science Studies and the Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftsforschung Berlin. The symposium had three thematic strands: 

1) Theorizing and its new media, with a discussion of the question: What kind of theorizing do science podcasts enable? 

2) Epistemology and the metaphysics of theory, with some comments on the philosophy of science, including the role of theory in university teaching

3) AI and theory, with the final question of theory and the transparency of knowledge organization. 

The book begins with a reflection by Andrew Abbott on the role of theory in the social sciences.

The Jahrbücher Wissenschaftsforschung have been published since 1995, all volumes up to and including 2022 can be accessed free of charge via the HU Berlin repository: https://edoc.hu-berlin.de/handle/18452/90