The nature of research environments: editorial introduction

Abstract

This collection shines a spotlight on the notion of the research environment. How has this concept been understood within the philosophical and scientific literatures so far, and how can it be conceptualised otherwise and going forward? What are its implications for understanding scientific change and knowledge development, particularly given the technological, institutional, methodological and social transformations that the research landscape has undergone over time? Contributions to this collection draw on history, social studies and philosophy of science. One aim of the collection is to develop and explore a variety of conceptualisations of research environments in light of ideas about the environment from biological and cognitive sciences, including the relation between organisms and their environments. Another aim is to demonstrate how conceptualisations of research environments serve as a frame for investigating and understanding scientific inquiry and the conditions under which it is carried out.