#1245 Jacob Stegenga - Heart of Science: A Philosophy of Scientific Inquiry

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Apr 24, 2026

Jacob Stegenga, philosopher of science and medicine and author of Heart of Science, offers a brisk tour of what scientific inquiry is and why justification matters. He discusses common knowledge, consensus formation, and when fast, policy-facing research is defensible. Conversation touches on trust in science, COVID-era debates, demarcation, progress, and how credit should be allocated in research.

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INSIGHT

Science Aims For Common Knowledge

The constitutive aim of science is common knowledge, a justified true claim with broad consensus about both the claim and its justification.
Jacob Stegenga defines common knowledge as high expert agreement on a claim and on the reasons that justify it, distinguishing it from mere common sense.

INSIGHT

Justification Is The Core Scientific Currency

The heart of science is justification: science progresses and should be evaluated by the quality of reasons offered for claims, not by immediate truth.
Justification includes empirical, mathematical, and theoretical reasons exposed to public criticism and improvement.

ADVICE

Evaluate Scientific Claims By Their Justifications Now

When assessing scientific testimony in real time, judge the quality of justification offered rather than waiting for retrospective truth claims.
Stegenga: real-time evaluation relies on disclosed reasons, methods, and public critique, not on final truth.

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Dr. Jacob Stegenga is a Professor of Philosophy at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Most of his research has been in general philosophy of science and philosophy of medicine, though he has worked on a wide range of other topics, including stereotypes, just war theory, and science in a time of crisis. His latest book is Heart of Science: A Philosophy of Scientific Inquiry.

In this episode, we focus on Heart of Science. We discuss what scientific inquiry is, the aim of science, and the concepts of common knowledge, scientific consensus, and justification. We talk about an approach to science focused on justification and not aims, factive approaches to science, and good scientific testimony. We discuss the demarcation problem, and Popper’s approach to it. We talk about whether people should trust science, we explore the example of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we discuss whether “fast science” is justified. We discuss whether science can be value-free. We talk about what scientific progress is, and credit allocation in science. Finally, we discuss whether there are “timeless truths” in science.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, HEDIN BRØNNER, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ALEX CHAU, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, VALENTIN STEINMANN, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, LUCY, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, CAROLA FEEST, MAURO JÚNIOR, TONY BARRETT, NIKOLAI VISHNEVSKY, STEVEN GANGESTAD, TED FARRIS, HUGO B., JORDAN MANSFIELD, CHARLOTTE ALLEN, PETER STOYKO, DAVID TONNER, LEE BECK, PATRICK DALTON-HOLMES, NICK KRASNEY, RACHEL ZAK, DENNIS XAVIER, CHINMAYA BHAT, RHYS, ALEX MACLEOD, HAIDAR, JULIEN PORCHER, ROBERT SUNDSTRÖM, AND JON STEWART!

A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, NICK GOLDEN, CHRISTINE GLASS, IGOR NIKIFOROVSKI, PER KRAULIS, ADAM HUNT, ANTHONY DI LORENZO, AND JOÃO BARBOSA!

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