Accumulation of Knowledge in Para-Scientific Areas. The Case of Analytic Philosophy

This study analyzes how accumulation of knowledge takes place in para-scientific area, focusing on the case of Analytic Philosophy. The theoretical framework chosen for the analysis is Kuhn’s theory of normal science. The methodology employed is qualitative citation context analysis. A sample of 60 papers published in leading Analytic Philosophy journals between 1950 and 2009 is analyzed, and a proper classificatory scheme is developed to classify citations according to their epistemological function. Compared to previous studies of citation context, this paper includes the temporal dimension into the analysis of citation context, in order to shed light on the process of knowledge accumulation. Main results show that Analytic Philosophy started to accumulate after Second World War, but in a peculiar way. Accumulation was not matched by a corresponding raising consensus. This is explained by the hypothesis that AP underwent a process of fragmentation in subfields during the second half of the century.