Human Computers as Instruments

人类计算机作为仪器

• 批准号: AH/X008657/1
• 负责人: Ana-Maria Cretu
• 金额: $ 25.86万
• 依托单位: University of Bristol
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FX008657%2F1
• 关键词: Human; Computers; Instruments

To understand how science works we need to understand how scientific knowledge is produced. This requires investigating both the roles of human beings who reduce, analyse, and interpret the data as well as how data is produced by instruments and experiments. The project undertakes a novel and interdisciplinary inquiry into the epistemic roles of the people historically reduced and analysed data in large-scale scientific enterprises before the advent of digital computers. In particular, the project investigates the epistemic roles of C1-the scanners within the Bristol Nuclear Research Group 1935-1955 and C2-the human computers at the Harvard Observatory 1880-1920. Both scanners and human computers were women, from relatively poor backgrounds, who were employed as 'unskilled' workers to 'mindlessly' analyse the data, being regarded as 'ideal' candidates for making discovery and scientific knowledge 'more objective'. But were these 'hidden figures' merely 'mindless machines'? The particular philosophical value of the comparison between C1 and C2 consists in: a) identification of novel objectivity norms; and b) analysis of the dynamics between scientific discovery and credit and authorship. Additionally, the comparison is valuably contrastive in that the data analysed is significantly different: the scanners specialised in the detection of cosmic particles within photographic emulsions plates, whereas the human computers specialised in the identification of the spectral characteristics of stars and their classification.The Human Computers as Instruments project will furnish analytical and ethical tools for a) the philosophical and normative assessment of epistemic work and epistemic injustice within large scale collaborations; b) the re-appraisal of norms of scientific objectivity and scientific discovery; c) the regulation and communication of credit, authorship, and reward systems in science and d) the engagement of the public in more complex narratives of instrumentation and experimentation, scientific discovery, and reward systems in science.This project will provide an essential platform for a better understanding of how scientific knowledge is produced and legitimised in large scale collaborations, as well as of how scientific credit is apportioned in such scientific enterprises. This will be invaluable for future philosophical and historical work which investigates how scientific knowledge is produced and legitimised in i) other nuclear emulsions and bubble chamber projects which hired scanners (e.g. the UCL Emulsion Group and Bubble Chamber Group 1955-1975, the Brookhaven National Laboratory); other Observatories or enterprises which hired human computers (e.g. the Edinburgh Observatory mid 19th to mid 20th centuries, NACA/NASA 1940-1965); as well as iii) contemporary large-scale scientific projects such as big science2 enterprises (e.g. CERN) or citizen science3 projects (e.g. the Hubble Asteroid Hunter project).

要了解科学如何运作，我们需要了解科学知识是如何产生的。这需要研究减少、分析和解释数据的人类的角色，以及仪器和实验如何产生数据。该项目对数字计算机出现之前大型科学企业中历史上人们减少和分析数据的认知角色进行了新颖的跨学科调查。该项目特别调查了 C1（1935-1955 年布里斯托尔核研究组内的扫描仪）和 C2（1880-1920 年哈佛天文台的人类计算机）的认知作用。扫描仪和人类计算机都是女性，出身相对贫困，她们被聘为“非熟练”工人，“盲目地”分析数据，被视为使发现和科学知识“更加客观”的“理想”人选。但这些“隐藏人物”仅仅是“无意识的机器”吗？ C1 和 C2 之间的比较的特殊哲学价值在于： a) 识别新颖的客观性规范； b) 科学发现与信用和作者之间的动态分析。此外，这种比较具有重要的对比意义，因为所分析的数据显着不同：扫描仪专门用于检测照相乳剂板中的宇宙粒子，而人类计算机专门用于识别恒星的光谱特征及其分类。计算机作为仪器项目将为a）大规模合作中的认知工作和认知不公正的哲学和规范评估提供分析和伦理工具； b）重新评估科学客观性和科学发现的规范； c) 科学中信用、作者身份和奖励制度的监管和沟通，以及 d) 公众参与科学中仪器和实验、科学发现和奖励制度的更复杂的叙述。该项目将为更好地了解科学知识如何在大规模合作中产生和合法化，以及科学信用如何在此类科学企业中分配。这对于未来的哲学和历史工作来说是非常宝贵的，这些工作研究科学知识是如何在 i) 其他雇用扫描仪的核乳剂和气泡室项目中产生和合法化的（例如伦敦大学学院乳剂组和气泡室组 1955-1975 年、布鲁克海文国家实验室） ）；其他雇用人类计算机的天文台或企业（例如 19 世纪中期至 20 世纪中期的爱丁堡天文台，NACA/NASA 1940-1965）；以及 iii) 当代大型科学项目，例如大型科学2企业（例如欧洲核子研究中心）或公民科学3项目（例如哈勃小行星猎人项目）。