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2 years ago in Academic Consensus By Prajwal Sharma
How does academic consensus differ between STEM fields and the Humanities?
In my Physics lab, consensus seems clear-cut based on experimental data. But in Philosophy seminars, my classmates say consensus is less common or even undesirable. Why is there such a difference in how agreement is reached and valued?
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By RobertMug Answered 8 months ago
The difference is epistemological—it's about what constitutes "knowledge." In STEM, consensus typically forms around empirical facts, reproducible phenomena, and predictive models (e.g., the structure of DNA, climate change drivers). The methodology (experiment, observation) allows for convergence. In the Humanities, knowledge is often interpretive, contextual, and evaluative. Consensus, when it exists, might be about shared methodologies, the importance of certain texts, or established historical facts, but rarely about singular interpretations. Plurality of perspectives is often seen as a strength, not a failure to agree. A "consensus" in History might be that a particular archive is central; in Literature, that a certain theoretical lens is fruitful. It's less about agreeing on an answer and more about agreeing on what questions and tools are valuable.
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