Measurement and Understanding in Science and Humanities: Interdisciplinary Approaches

Description

This anthology is a unique compilation of scientific contributions on the topic of measurement and understanding, showing how terms such as number, measurement, understanding, model, pattern are used in a wide variety of disciplines. Based on the results and experiences from their own projects, 23 researchers comment on the potentials and limitations of individual methodological approaches and success factors of interdisciplinary collaboration. In doing so, they sound out the different significance of quantification and empirical evidence for their own disciplines and examine the influence of methodological approaches on existing models and images. The common goal is to want to understand the world; the methods, however, are highly diverse. Foreword Contents Notes on Contributors Introduction Introduction 1 Why Interdisciplinary Research? 2 Challenges and Success Factors of Interdisciplinary Research 2.1 Challenges 2.2 Success Factors Brief Presentation of the Contributions Main Part Counting and Narrating: A Methodological Dialogue of Medieval Literature and History 1 Theoretical Approach and Methods in Medieval Literary and Historical Studies 1.1 Medieval German Studies 1.2 Medieval Historiography 1.3 Methodological Commonalities 2 How Do We Count and Interpret? Historical Narratology and Historical Network Analysis as an Example 2.1 Literary Counting and Narrating: Historical Narratological Perspectives 2.2 Counting History: Historical Network Analyses 3 Counting and Narrating in Interdisciplinary Methodological Dialogue: Results 3.1 Structures and Patterns 3.2 Result and Gain of Knowledge 3.3 Humanities vs. Natural Sciences? Does Klio Count, Too? Measurement and Understanding in Historical Science 1 Methods and Approaches 2 Counting and Measuring in Historical Research 3 What Is a Scientific Result? How Do We Recognize and Interpret Patterns? 4 Counting and Measuring—Quantification in Politics and Society in Medieval Europe 5 Conclusion Quantitative Data and Hermeneutic Methods in the Digital Classics 1 What Do We Count? 2 How Do We “Read”? 3 Close Reading Supported by Digital Corpora 4 Quantitative Data Generated Through Interpretation 5 Closing Remark Metaphors and Models: On the Translation of Knowledge into Understanding 1 Scientific Self-reference via the Metaphors and Models of Scientific Language 2 Use of Metaphors and Models as a Problem 3 Contingency and Contextuality 4 Example: The Humanistic Treatment of Surrogacy 5 Transdisciplinary Research Perspectives: Metaphor, Model and Pattern 6 Conclusion Critical Mass: Aspects of a Quantitatively Oriented Hermeneutics Using the Example of Computational Legal Linguistics 1 Law, Language and Algorithms—From the Micro to the Macro Perspective 2 Preliminary Definitions 2.1 Recognition and Understanding as a Starting Point 2.2 Systematizing—Counting—Measuring—Interpreting as Work Steps? 2.3 On the Lack of Methodological Metatheory 3 Computer-Aided Pattern Recognition as a Method 4 Three Theses on the Relationship Between Quality and Quantity in Knowledge Production 4.1 Thesis: The Introspective and Single-Case Experience of the World Is Absolute 4.2 Antithesis: In the Unity of Number, Individual Experience Becomes Collectively Relevant 4.3 Synthesis: Only the Cognitive Contextualization of the Individual Case in the Pattern of Contingent Multiplicity Creates Meaning 5 The Perspective: Everything Flows Quantifying and Operationalizing the Commensurability of International Economic Sanctions 1 How/What Do We Count 2 How/What Do We Measure? 3 How Do we Recognize and Interpret Patterns? 4 What Is the Significance of Patterns and Numbers? 4.1 Jurisprudence 5 Political Science and Economics 6 What Is a Scientific Result? What Perspectives Does the WIN Project Offer? 6.1 Dogmatic Jurisprudence and Social Science Approach 6.2 Formalization as a Common Formal Object of Legal and Quantitative Social Science 6.3 Different Formalizations as an Obstacle to Reception 7 Conclusion Science, Numbers and Power: Contemporary Politics Between the Imperative of Rationalization and the Dependence on Numbers 1 Introduction 2 Counting, Measuring and Interpreting in Politics (Political Science) 3 Promise and Temptation of “Scientific Politics 4 The Contribution of the Research Project “Science, Numbers and Power” 4.1 Section I: Historical Genesis of the Relationship Between Science and Politics 4.2 Section II: Science and Contemporary Politics 4.3 Section III: Case Study—European Education Policy Measuring and Understanding Financial Risks: An Econometric Perspective 1 Measurement and Interpretation in Econometrics 2 Statistical Significance: The Trojan Horse 3 Measuring and Understanding Financial Risks 4 Measuring Financial Risks: Limitations and Challenges 5 Understanding, Measuring and Predicting Financial Risks: A New Perspective 6 Conclusion Regulating New Challenges in the Natural Sciences: Data Protection and Data Sharing in Translational Genetic Research 1 Recognition and Understanding 2 The Rights and Expectations of Stakeholders in Macro and Micro Perspective—Normative Challenges 2.1 The Volume and Diversity of Data and Its Impact on Data Protection 2.2 The Individual Patient 2.3 Cooperating Research Centres, Partners and Countries 2.3.1 Transfer of Data from the European Union to Third Countries 2.3.2 Commercial Cloud Providers 2.3.3 The Individual Researcher 3 Generalisation and Solution Pattern of the Regulation 4 Consequences for the Interdisciplinary Approach in the Project and Need for Further Discussion Psychology and Physics: A Non-invasive Approach to the Functioning of the Human Mirror Neuron System 1 Importance of Number and Measurement 1.1 Psychology 1.2 Physics and Computational Neuroscience 2 Synergies Through Cooperation Between the Two Subjects 3 Conclusion Reflections and Perspectives on the Research Fields of Thermal Comfort at Work and Pain 1 Perception and Adaptation 2 How/What Do We Count? 3 How/What Do We Measure? 4 How Do We Recognize and Interpret Patterns? 5 What Is the Significance of Patterns and Numbers? 6 What Is a Scientific Result for Us? What Perspectives Does the WIN Project Offer? 7 Conclusion Measuring and Understanding the World Through Geoinformatics Using the Example of Natural Hazards 1 From Counting and Measuring to Understanding in Geoinformatics 1.1 The Digital Representation of the World—The View of Geoinformatics 1.2 Counting 1.3 Measuring 1.4 Understanding 1.5 Interpretation 1.6 Pattern 1.7 Scientific Results 2 Neogeography of Digital Earth: Geoinformatics as a Methodological Bridge in Interdisciplinary Natural Hazard Analysis (NEOHAZ) 2.1 Project Objective and Object of Investigation 2.2 Counting and Measuring 2.3 Pattern 2.4 Scientific Findings and Results 3 Conclusion Measuring Art, Counting Pixels? The Collaboration of Art History and Computer Vision Oscillates Between Quantitative and Hermeneutic Methods 1 Measuring, Counting, Recognizing Patterns in Art History 2 Measuring, Counting, Pattern Recognition in Computer Science and Computer Vision 3 Collaboration Between Art History and Computer Vision Through Numerical Simulation to Scientific Knowledge 1 Basic Concepts and Considerations 2 Process of a Numerical Simulation 3 Modelling and Simulation of Fluid Flows 4 Importance of Modelling and Numerical Simulation 5 Challenges, Criticism and Outlook 6 Conclusion Final Part Communication Cultures 1 Reflection on Goals and Methods of Science Communication 1.1 Why Do We Communicate? (Goals) 1.1.1 Communication and Discussion 1.1.2 Verification Tool 1.1.3 Reputation 1.2 How Is Communication Done? (Methods) 2 Trends in Knowledge Communication and their Consequences 2.1 Trends 2.2 Consequences 3 Potentials and Limits of Interdisciplinary Communication 4 Conclusion Conclusion: Measuring and Understanding the World Through Science 1 Scientific Disciplines Involved 2 Considered Objects of Investigation 3 Conclusions Glossary Author Index Index of Topics Subject Index