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Accepted manuscript

Better than Best: Epistemic Landscapes and Diversity of Practice in Science

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 October 2023

Jingyi Wu*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics.
*
*Corresponding author. Email: Jingyi.Wu@lse.ac.uk.
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Abstract

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When solving a complex problem in a group, should group members always choose the best available solution that they are aware of? In this paper, I build simulation models to show that, perhaps surprisingly, a group of agents who individually randomly follow a better available solution than their own can end up outperforming a group of agents who individually always follow the best available solution. This result has implications for the feminist philosophy of science and social epistemology.

Type
Symposia Paper
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Philosophy of Science Association