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  • Presentation | SY22A: Science and Society: Social and Behavioral Sciences I Oral
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  • SY22A-02: Celebrating Epistemic Pluralism in Astrobiology
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Author(s):
Michael Wong, Carnegie Institution for Science (First Author, Presenting Author)
Kayla Smith, University of Arizona
Patrick Anderson, Central State University


Astrobiology is the study of the origins, distribution, and fate of life in the universe. Epistemic pluralism is a philosophical framework—developed in large part by philosopher of science Paul Feyerabend—that advocates for a worldview in which there are many valid ways of understanding a phenomenon. In this talk, we celebrate how astrobiology, as a multidisciplinary science, has championed the principles of epistemic pluralism since its earliest days. In particular, Feyerabend’s “principle of proliferation” is manifest in the way that astrobiologists actively develop new theories of life and new techniques for life detection. Then, we argue that astrobiological research can be further strengthened by embracing epistemic pluralism not only within the sciences, but across the sciences and humanities as well. We illustrate how contributions from the philosophy of science, ethical theory, and Indigenous knowledge systems can all widen and deepen astrobiological inquiry.



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