The network of network science: notes on object and materials

Abstract

This work is an exercise to test my research hypotheses. It represents the first public presentation of the arguments of my doctoral dissertation on the process of naturalization of social values by network models of Network Science, currently in preparation. It is a record of the crafting work involved in sociological research, grounded in the field of Social Studies of Science, that reflect about the scientific practice of a social scientist who investigate the scientific practice of other scientists. Composed of four sections, the text discusses general keywords of scientific research: problem, object, materials, and methods. In the first section, I present the formulation of questions from the intuition of a sociological problem. The second section reveals the attempts to find, delimit, and define a sociological object. The third section discusses the approaches and solutions found to demonstrate, based on empirical materials, the best framework for the object. Finally, in the fourth section, I reflect on the inherent subjectivity present in constructing scientific research through methodological choices and the scientific attitude of a scientist toward his "objects." Rather than presenting conclusions, the text seeks to reflexively elaborate on the agonizing task of transforming social reality into a "thing," highlighting the various contradictions faced by the researcher throughout their research journey.