Knowledge and Normativity: A Matrix of Disciplines and Practices

Abstract

This chapter introduces the matrix approach as a method of studying the life sciences. It builds on insights from the philosophy and sociology of science over the past decades against which it is laid out. The contribution of this new approach is that it reconfigures the life sciences as multidisciplinary and multi-institutional societal projects. The case study of stem cell research shows that one cannot separate internal and external, that is epistemic, social, ethical, and political factors affecting the development of a life science. The matrix approach allows for the examination of this complex and dynamic web of interests and societal practices and highlights the important role of legal, normative, technical and political conditions and activities in making the science work in specific ways. Life sciences operate in a matrix of diverse societal intersections and spheres of dominance. The approach especially reframes the role and scope of the humanities and social sciences. It prepares the ground for a self-critical reflection in bioethics, social sciences, and philosophy. These disciplines do not just analyse stem cell research as an object, from a distance, they co-configure it and shape its contemporary gestalt and practices.