Julio Tuma - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Julio Tuma

Collective intelligence, Oct 1, 2022

Philosophers of science have long questioned how collective scientific knowledge grows. Although ... more Philosophers of science have long questioned how collective scientific knowledge grows. Although disparate answers have been posited, empirical validation has been challenging due to limitations in collecting and systematizing large historical records. Here, we introduce new methods to analyze scientific knowledge formulated as a growing network of articles on Wikipedia and their hyperlinks. We demonstrate that in Wikipedia, concept networks in subdisciplines of science do not grow by expanding from their central core to reach an ancillary periphery. Instead, science concept networks in Wikipedia grow by creating and filling knowledge gaps. Notably, the process of gap formation and closure may be valued by the scientific community, as evidenced by the fact that it produces discoveries that are more frequently awarded Nobel prizes than other processes. To determine whether and how the gap process is interrupted by paradigm shifts, we operationalize a paradigm as a particular subdivision of scientific concepts into network modules. Hence, paradigm shifts are reconfigurations of those modules. The approach allows us to identify a temporal signature in structural stability across scientific subjects in Wikipedia. In a network formulation of scientific discovery, our findings suggest that data-driven conditions underlying scientific breakthroughs depend as much on exploring uncharted gaps as on exploiting existing disciplines and support policies that encourage new interdisciplinary research.

Collective Intelligence

Philosophers of science have long questioned how collective scientific knowledge grows. Although ... more Philosophers of science have long questioned how collective scientific knowledge grows. Although disparate answers have been posited, empirical validation has been challenging due to limitations in collecting and systematizing large historical records. Here, we introduce new methods to analyze scientific knowledge formulated as a growing network of articles on Wikipedia and their hyperlinks. We demonstrate that in Wikipedia, concept networks in subdisciplines of science do not grow by expanding from their central core to reach an ancillary periphery. Instead, science concept networks in Wikipedia grow by creating and filling knowledge gaps. Notably, the process of gap formation and closure may be valued by the scientific community, as evidenced by the fact that it produces discoveries that are more frequently awarded Nobel prizes than other processes. To determine whether and how the gap process is interrupted by paradigm shifts, we operationalize a paradigm as a particular subdivis...

Philosophers of science have long postulated how collective scientific knowledge grows. Empirical... more Philosophers of science have long postulated how collective scientific knowledge grows. Empirical validation has been challenging due to limitations in collecting and systematizing large historical records. Here, we capitalize on the largest online encyclopedia to formulate knowledge as growing networks of articles and their hyperlinked inter-relations. We demonstrate that concept networks grow not by expanding from their core but rather by creating and filling knowledge gaps, a process which produces discoveries that are more frequently awarded Nobel prizes than others. Moreover, we operationalize paradigms as network modules to reveal a temporal signature in structural stability across scientific subjects. In a network formulation of scientific discovery, data-driven conditions underlying breakthroughs depend just as much on identifying uncharted gaps as on advancing solutions within scientific communities.

Ethics on the Laboratory Floor, 2013

Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors Introduction Enhancing Ethical Reflection in the Laborator... more Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors Introduction Enhancing Ethical Reflection in the Laboratory: How Soft Impacts Require Tough Thinking Simone Van Der Burg and Tsjalling Swierstra 1. Which Focus for an Ethics in Nanotechnology Laboratories? Bernadette Bensaude Vincent 2. Responsible Research and Development: Roles of Ethicists on the Lab Floor Armin Grunwald 3. The Multiple Practices of Doing 'Ethics in the Lab' - A Mid-Level Perspective Marianne Boenink 4. Technology Design as Experimental Ethics Peter-Paul Verbeek 5. Co-Shaping the Life Story of a Technology From Technological Ancestry to Visions of the Future Simone Van Der Burg 6. Ethics on the Basis of Technological Choices Xavier Guchet 7. Environmental Ethics in an Ecotoxicology Laboratory Fern Wickson 8. The Promises of Emerging Diagnostics: From Scientists' Visions to the Lab Bench and Back Federica Lucivero 9. Dramatic Rehearsal on the Societal Embedding of the Lithium Chip Lotte Krabbenborg 10. Pervasive Normativity and Emerging Technologies Arie Rip 11. Underdetermination and Overconfidence - Constructivism, Design Thinking, and the Ethics Politics of Research Alfred Nordmann Index

Science and Engineering Ethics, 2011

The intersection of ELSI and science forms a complicated nexus yet their integration is an import... more The intersection of ELSI and science forms a complicated nexus yet their integration is an important goal both for society and for the successful advancement of science. In what follows, I present a heuristic that makes boundary identification and crossing an important tool in the discovery of potential areas of ethical, legal, and social concern in science. A dynamic and iterative application of the heuristic can lead towards a fuller integration and appreciation of the concerns of ELSI and of science from both sides of the divide.

Science and Engineering Ethics, 2013

A participant-observer who is both informed and interested in ethical issues, and is embedded wit... more A participant-observer who is both informed and interested in ethical issues, and is embedded within a nanotechnology research and development facility may be able to influence the ethical awareness of researchers in nanotechnology, and tease out the societal implications of the work being conducted. Two inter-disciplinary methods were employed: (1) regular involvement in the technical and scientific research at the facility by the participant-observer, and (2) repeated interactions and discussions between the participant-observer and the scientists. As a result of this qualitative approach, an ethics questionnaire was developed and tested. This questionnaire has been incorporated into the admissions procedures for researchers as they commence use of the nanotech facility. The questionnaire highlights the importance of ethical issues in nanotechnology research and draws researchers into an engagement with possible ethical consequences and with future societal implications of their work.

Biological Theory, 2009

Biological boundaries are important because of what they reveal about the evolution of a lineage,... more Biological boundaries are important because of what they reveal about the evolution of a lineage, the relationship between organisms of different lineages, the structure and function of particular subsystems of the organism, the interconnection between an organism and its environment, and a myriad of other important issues related to individuality, development, and evolution. Since there is no single unifying theory for all biological sciences, there are various possible theoretical characterizations of what counts as a biological boundary. Theoretical specificity is crucial for the full characterization of a boundary; to this end, it is useful to begin with general properties (those true of all living system boundaries) and then to compare these to those properties specific to a particular biological boundary. This dual heuristic approach-top-down and bottom-up-can then be repeated to increase the robustness of the boundary characterization. In what follows, I explore both the general structural and functional aspects of biological boundaries and those specific to a biological subsystem, which itself is critical to boundary formation, maintenance, and evolution-the vertebrate immune system. It is a remarkable and sobering regularity of nature that organisms remain whole because their parts are constantly being built up and broken down, and this is no less true of their boundaries. The vertebrate immune system is at the center of this process of biological boundary maintenance and breakdown.

Collective intelligence, Oct 1, 2022

Philosophers of science have long questioned how collective scientific knowledge grows. Although ... more Philosophers of science have long questioned how collective scientific knowledge grows. Although disparate answers have been posited, empirical validation has been challenging due to limitations in collecting and systematizing large historical records. Here, we introduce new methods to analyze scientific knowledge formulated as a growing network of articles on Wikipedia and their hyperlinks. We demonstrate that in Wikipedia, concept networks in subdisciplines of science do not grow by expanding from their central core to reach an ancillary periphery. Instead, science concept networks in Wikipedia grow by creating and filling knowledge gaps. Notably, the process of gap formation and closure may be valued by the scientific community, as evidenced by the fact that it produces discoveries that are more frequently awarded Nobel prizes than other processes. To determine whether and how the gap process is interrupted by paradigm shifts, we operationalize a paradigm as a particular subdivision of scientific concepts into network modules. Hence, paradigm shifts are reconfigurations of those modules. The approach allows us to identify a temporal signature in structural stability across scientific subjects in Wikipedia. In a network formulation of scientific discovery, our findings suggest that data-driven conditions underlying scientific breakthroughs depend as much on exploring uncharted gaps as on exploiting existing disciplines and support policies that encourage new interdisciplinary research.

Collective Intelligence

Philosophers of science have long questioned how collective scientific knowledge grows. Although ... more Philosophers of science have long questioned how collective scientific knowledge grows. Although disparate answers have been posited, empirical validation has been challenging due to limitations in collecting and systematizing large historical records. Here, we introduce new methods to analyze scientific knowledge formulated as a growing network of articles on Wikipedia and their hyperlinks. We demonstrate that in Wikipedia, concept networks in subdisciplines of science do not grow by expanding from their central core to reach an ancillary periphery. Instead, science concept networks in Wikipedia grow by creating and filling knowledge gaps. Notably, the process of gap formation and closure may be valued by the scientific community, as evidenced by the fact that it produces discoveries that are more frequently awarded Nobel prizes than other processes. To determine whether and how the gap process is interrupted by paradigm shifts, we operationalize a paradigm as a particular subdivis...

Philosophers of science have long postulated how collective scientific knowledge grows. Empirical... more Philosophers of science have long postulated how collective scientific knowledge grows. Empirical validation has been challenging due to limitations in collecting and systematizing large historical records. Here, we capitalize on the largest online encyclopedia to formulate knowledge as growing networks of articles and their hyperlinked inter-relations. We demonstrate that concept networks grow not by expanding from their core but rather by creating and filling knowledge gaps, a process which produces discoveries that are more frequently awarded Nobel prizes than others. Moreover, we operationalize paradigms as network modules to reveal a temporal signature in structural stability across scientific subjects. In a network formulation of scientific discovery, data-driven conditions underlying breakthroughs depend just as much on identifying uncharted gaps as on advancing solutions within scientific communities.

Ethics on the Laboratory Floor, 2013

Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors Introduction Enhancing Ethical Reflection in the Laborator... more Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors Introduction Enhancing Ethical Reflection in the Laboratory: How Soft Impacts Require Tough Thinking Simone Van Der Burg and Tsjalling Swierstra 1. Which Focus for an Ethics in Nanotechnology Laboratories? Bernadette Bensaude Vincent 2. Responsible Research and Development: Roles of Ethicists on the Lab Floor Armin Grunwald 3. The Multiple Practices of Doing 'Ethics in the Lab' - A Mid-Level Perspective Marianne Boenink 4. Technology Design as Experimental Ethics Peter-Paul Verbeek 5. Co-Shaping the Life Story of a Technology From Technological Ancestry to Visions of the Future Simone Van Der Burg 6. Ethics on the Basis of Technological Choices Xavier Guchet 7. Environmental Ethics in an Ecotoxicology Laboratory Fern Wickson 8. The Promises of Emerging Diagnostics: From Scientists' Visions to the Lab Bench and Back Federica Lucivero 9. Dramatic Rehearsal on the Societal Embedding of the Lithium Chip Lotte Krabbenborg 10. Pervasive Normativity and Emerging Technologies Arie Rip 11. Underdetermination and Overconfidence - Constructivism, Design Thinking, and the Ethics Politics of Research Alfred Nordmann Index

Science and Engineering Ethics, 2011

The intersection of ELSI and science forms a complicated nexus yet their integration is an import... more The intersection of ELSI and science forms a complicated nexus yet their integration is an important goal both for society and for the successful advancement of science. In what follows, I present a heuristic that makes boundary identification and crossing an important tool in the discovery of potential areas of ethical, legal, and social concern in science. A dynamic and iterative application of the heuristic can lead towards a fuller integration and appreciation of the concerns of ELSI and of science from both sides of the divide.

Science and Engineering Ethics, 2013

A participant-observer who is both informed and interested in ethical issues, and is embedded wit... more A participant-observer who is both informed and interested in ethical issues, and is embedded within a nanotechnology research and development facility may be able to influence the ethical awareness of researchers in nanotechnology, and tease out the societal implications of the work being conducted. Two inter-disciplinary methods were employed: (1) regular involvement in the technical and scientific research at the facility by the participant-observer, and (2) repeated interactions and discussions between the participant-observer and the scientists. As a result of this qualitative approach, an ethics questionnaire was developed and tested. This questionnaire has been incorporated into the admissions procedures for researchers as they commence use of the nanotech facility. The questionnaire highlights the importance of ethical issues in nanotechnology research and draws researchers into an engagement with possible ethical consequences and with future societal implications of their work.

Biological Theory, 2009

Biological boundaries are important because of what they reveal about the evolution of a lineage,... more Biological boundaries are important because of what they reveal about the evolution of a lineage, the relationship between organisms of different lineages, the structure and function of particular subsystems of the organism, the interconnection between an organism and its environment, and a myriad of other important issues related to individuality, development, and evolution. Since there is no single unifying theory for all biological sciences, there are various possible theoretical characterizations of what counts as a biological boundary. Theoretical specificity is crucial for the full characterization of a boundary; to this end, it is useful to begin with general properties (those true of all living system boundaries) and then to compare these to those properties specific to a particular biological boundary. This dual heuristic approach-top-down and bottom-up-can then be repeated to increase the robustness of the boundary characterization. In what follows, I explore both the general structural and functional aspects of biological boundaries and those specific to a biological subsystem, which itself is critical to boundary formation, maintenance, and evolution-the vertebrate immune system. It is a remarkable and sobering regularity of nature that organisms remain whole because their parts are constantly being built up and broken down, and this is no less true of their boundaries. The vertebrate immune system is at the center of this process of biological boundary maintenance and breakdown.