Commercialization and the Limits of Well-Ordered Science

The aim of this paper is to show that Philip Kitcher’s ideal of well-ordered
science has limitations when trying to implement it as a guide for current
commercialized science. After describing Kitcher’s ideal, I give a critical
assessment of the approach, uncovering three limitations. I then explain
some of the major changes that science organization has undergone in recent
decades and how they affect scientific research. I argue that the limitations
of Kitcher’s approach follow from not taking these changes sufficiently
into account.