Home – Home – Jornals – Philosophy of Sciences 2020 number 3

The paper analyzes the specifics of modern science, which is due to the development of megascience and the active dissemination of scientific knowledge in society. Megascience is the science of huge teams of scientists using the expensive equipment. Research in this field is a collective activity carried out by the collective subject of scientific knowledge. To some extent, it can be identified with the core of a research team. It includes highly professional scientists responsible for the implementation of the project. An active penetration of science into the life of society resulted in the formation of citizen science and counter-expertise practices. In these two areas, the collective subject of scientific knowledge also emerges. In the case of citizen science, it is similar to the collective subject of megascience and includes scientists managing the project. In the case of counter-expertise, the collective subject may include both groups of non-scientists and professional scientists. In counter-expertise, scientists no longer take the lead in the collective subject of knowledge. They are the same participants in joint research activities as other social groups.