Poster- Advancing the Empirical Turn in Philosophy of Science

Authors: Kathryn S. Plaisance and Sara Doody (University of Waterloo) 

Poster presented by Katie Plaisance at the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology Biennial Meeting, 2025 

The poster is available to download as a PDF.

To cite this poster: 

Plaisance, Kathryn S. and Sara Doody. “Advancing the Empirical Turn in Philosophy of Science: The Affordances of Mixed-Methods Approaches” Poster presented at the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology Biennial Meeting, Porto, Portugal, July 2025. 

Philosophy of science has increasingly turned to empirical methods to understand scientists’ views and examine scientific inquiry, but most philosophers who use empirical approaches tend to rely on either quantitative or qualitative methods alone. We argue for a greater use of mixed methods approaches, which combine qualitative (QUAL) and quantitative (QUAN) approaches, within philosophy of science. To illustrate the utility of mixed-methods research, we present two case studies from our research on engaging science with philosophy. 

Drawing on Creswell and Plano Clark’s (2017) taxonomy, we highlight three mixed methods designs: convergent mixed methods (QUAN and QUAL combined and compared), explanatory sequential (QUAN results explained by follow-up QUAL data), and exploratory sequential (QUAL findings used to develop QUAN instruments). 

• Case 1 (Explanatory Sequential, QUANàQUAL): A survey of 299 philosophers of science was followed by interviews with 35 philosophers to further explore their attitudes towards and experiences with engaged work. The survey helped reveal high interest in engaged work amongst philosophers and lower-than-expected barriers. Follow up interviews allowed us to probe philosophers’ motivations for engaging with scientists and identify the pathways most likely to lead to broader impacts, which would have been challenging to do through a survey alone. 
• Case 2 (Exploratory Sequential, QUALàQUAN): Interviews with 20 scientists and engineers informed the design of a large-scale survey of 2,083 tenure-system scientists and engineers across Canada and the US regarding their views on philosophy of science. This QUAL-first approach was necessary because there was little prior empirical research on this topic, and even less on STEM researchers’ experiences directly engaging with philosophers of science. The resulting survey showed that most scientists and engineers are interested in collaborating with philosophers, but that not knowing any philosophers of science was the top barrier to formal collaboration.  

• Mixed methods offer more comprehensive answers to complex research questions by combining the breadth of quantitative data with the depth of qualitative data, and can enhance the validity of findings.  
• Limitations include the time, cost, and expertise required to integrate both approaches effectively. 
• We advocate for a pluralistic approach, and argue that philosophical, quantitative, and qualitative methods can inform and strengthen each other. 
• For philosophers considering mixed methods research, we offer practical considerations that include assessing whether empirical methods are truly needed, budgeting sufficient time, consulting mixed methods literature, and seeking collaborators with relevant expertise.