Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
The Dynamics of Scientific Knowledge
Science is what you know, philosophy is what you don't know.
— Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)
Scientific knowledge changes all the time. Most of the changes are incremental, but
some are revolutionary and fundamental. There are two kinds of contributions to
the body of scientific knowledge: persistent and long-lasting ones versus transient
and fast-moving ones. Once widely known theories and interpretations may be
replaced by new theories and new interpretations. Scientific frontiers consist of
the current understanding of the world and the current set of questions that the
scientific community is addressing. Scientific frontiers are not only where one
would expect to find the cutting edge knowledge and technology of human being,
but also unsolved mysteries, controversies, battles and debates, and revolutions.
For example, a bimonthly newsletter Scientific Frontiers
1
digests scientific reports
of scientific anomalies - observations and facts that do not quite fit into prevail-
ing scientific theories. This is where the unknown manifests itself in all sorts
of ways.
In this topic, we will start with what is known about the structure and dynamics
of scientific knowledge and how information and computational approaches can
help us develop a good understanding of the complex and evolving system. We will
also trace the origin of some of the most fundamental assumptions that underline
the state of the art in science mapping, interactive visual analytics and quantitative
studies of science. This is not a technical tutorial; instead, our focus is on principles
of visual thinking and the ways that may vividly reveal the dynamics of scientific
frontiers at various levels of abstraction.
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