Chapter 3 If Germs could Sponsor Research: Reflections on Sympathetic Connections among Subjects and Researchers

Abstract

Our approach is largely historical, argument by example. We leave it to the theoreticians and empiricists to take the argument in a more technical direction.¹ Throughout, we suppose that germs are self-interested and they have a research question, for example, how might our species improve the chances of survival, the answer to which might potentially benefit germs (or, harm them by less).

Citation

Peart, S.J. and Levy, D.M. (2012), "Chapter 3 If Germs could Sponsor Research: Reflections on Sympathetic Connections among Subjects and Researchers", Koppl, R., Horwitz, S. and Dobuzinskis, L. (Ed.) Experts and Epistemic Monopolies (Advances in Austrian Economics, Vol. 17), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 19-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1529-2134(2012)0000017005