How is new knowledge produced in the social, natural, and biomedical sciences? What is the role of serendipity versus planning? How has technology changed knowledge production, from AI to large datasets? This book presents insights into the pursuit of new knowledge from fields as diverse as medicine, engineering, linguistics, and theology. Over twenty researchers and scientists describe the modalities of discovery in their disciplines, offering a diverse survey of the social norms and politics of knowledge. Written in nontechnical language, this collection is designed to make research practices from widely different domains comprehensible to each other. A generative synthesis in the final chapter offers new insights into how discovery happens and its consequences for science and society. On Discovery will be essential reading for anyone interested in philosophical and social dimensions of knowledge.
Edited by:
Jonathan Jansen (Stellenbosch University)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
ISBN: 9781009596596
ISBN 10: 1009596594
Pages: 325
Publication Date: 22 May 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
1. Introduction: on the question of discovery Jonathan Jansen; 2. Physics: extracting meaning from models Irvy Gledhill; 3. Philosophy: making philosophical discoveries Thaddeus Metz; 4. Psychology: discovery, solidarity and politics in psychology Leslie Swartz; 5. Biochemistry: creating new knowledge in the field of applied biochemistry Stephanie Burton; 6. Astronomy: discovering the stars Justin Jonas; 7. Dentistry: extracting knowledge from communities Stephen James Heinrich Hendricks; 8. Surgery: what the hands know Elmi Muller; 9. Theology: surfacing after being swallowed in the book of Jonah Juliana Claassens; 10. Architecture: authority, identity, and place in creating new knowledge Philippa Tumubweinee; 11. Palaeontology: the knowledge in the bones Anusuya Chinsamy Turan; 12. Music: on performing and discovering Mozart Stephanus Muller; 13. Law: three graces – certainty, originality, and justice Daniel Visser; 14. Genetics: discovering human origins through DNA Himla Soodyall; 15. Classics: inventio – Archimedes, Cicero and me Grant Parker; 16. Archaeology: archaeology as disaggregation and fragmentation of knowledge Innocent Pikirayi; 17. History: discovering social histories from the provinces Neil Roos; 18. Linguistics: discovery procedures in language and linguistic research Rajend Mesthrie; 19. Public health: following the data to save lives Quarraisha Abdool Karim; 20. Engineering: the search for a black cat in a dark room Thokozani Majozi; 21. Microbiology: discovering microbes Thulani Makhalanyane; 22. Conclusion: the discovery of new knowledge – an integrative synthesis Jonathan Jansen.
Jonathan Jansen is a Distinguished Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and is the immediate past president of the Academy of Science of South Africa. He is a curriculum theorist with work on the politics of knowledge in schools and universities.
Reviews for On Discovery: How Knowledge is Produced across the Disciplines
'This insightful and thought-provoking book sheds light on the hidden processes of knowledge production, offering a rare glimpse into how scholars navigate research and discovery. With its cross-disciplinary approach, it is an invaluable guide for researchers seeking to deepen their understanding of disciplinary knowledge and its ethical and political implications across fields.' Michalinos Zembylas, Professor of Education, Open University of Cyprus 'Jonathan Jansen has developed an important book for those engaging in research. He demonstrates the centrality of creating new knowledge through research and discovery to addressing the dilemmas, problems and conflict of life and politics today and the necessity of generating new knowledge and understandings if we are to develop our society and world. This book will engage, fascinate and refresh.' Colleen McLaughlin, Emeritus Professor of Education, University of Cambridge
