Lecture | Sociolinguistics & Discourse Studies Series
The Communicative Life of Scientific Findings
- Date
- Friday 26 June 2026
- Time
- Serie
- Sociolinguistics & Discourse Studies Series
- Address
-
Lipsius
Cleveringaplaats 1
2311 BD Leiden - Room
- 0.01
Scientific discoveries are often portrayed as isolated moments of insight -- sudden flashes of genius associated with solitary figures and dramatic "Eureka!" moments. Contrary to this view, I develop a process-oriented account according to which discoveries emerge through a transition from an initial finding to acceptance within a scientific community and eventually to integration into scientific knowledge. Rather than understanding discoveries as simply "made" and subsequently recognized, I focus on the communicative and interpretive processes through which findings are articulated, discussed, criticized, and gradually taken up within scientific communities. This perspective also sheds light on the epistemic role of peer review, editorial assessment, and other forms of institutionally mediated uptake involved in the acceptance of scientific findings.