Fischer, Enno (2025) The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments. [Preprint]

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Abstract

When scientists decide to perform an experiment, they expect that their efforts will bear fruit. While assessing such expectations belongs to the everyday work of practicing scientists, we have a limited understanding of the epistemological principles underlying such assessments. Here I argue that we should delineate a “context of pursuit” for experiments. The rational pursuit of experiments, like the pursuit of theories, is governed by distinct epistemic and pragmatic considerations that concern epistemic gain, likelihood of success, and feasibility. I argue that, beyond the theoretically motivated research questions an experiment aims to address, we must also assess the concrete experimental facilities and activities involved, because (1) there are often multiple ways to address a research question, (2) an experiment may be particularly pursuitworthy because it addresses a combination of research questions, and (3) experimental facilities may give rise to research questions in the first place. In this sense experimental pursuitworthiness has a ‘life of its own.’ My claims are supported by a look into ongoing debates about future particle colliders.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Fischer, Enno enno.fischer@ruhr-uni-bochum.de 0000-0003-3758-4655
Keywords:	pursuitworthiness, experiments, particle physics
Subjects:	General Issues > Experimentation Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles
Depositing User:	Enno Fischer
Date Deposited:	11 Dec 2025 17:06
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2025 17:06
Item ID:	27434
Subjects:	General Issues > Experimentation Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles
Date:	2025
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/27434

Available Versions of this Item

• The Pursuitworthienss of Experiments. (deposited 28 Jun 2025 15:17)
  • The Pursuitworthienss of Experiments. (deposited 10 Dec 2025 13:54)
    • The Pursuitworthiness of Experiments. (deposited 11 Dec 2025 17:06) [Currently Displayed]

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