How are Scientific Forgeries Possible?

By Claudine Cohen

Abstract

Are forgers in science betrayers of truth, or do they show how science is built? Following a brief definition of forgery, Claudine Cohen emphasizes the questions and goals she addresses in her lecture. She first approaches forgery through the lens of ethics and questions the efficiency of moralizing scientific research. She then recalls that scientific knowledge is a construction of facts, just like forgery is. She does however insist on the intentional aspect of forgery to produce false evidence and conclusions. Cohen ultimately analyses the processes and methods of historical sciences, such as archeology and paleontology, and gives examples of two famous archeological forgeries: the forgery of Moulin Quignon and the forgery of the Piltdown man.

Summary

00:00:10 – Introduction

00:02:24 – 1. Definition of forgery
00:02:49 – 1.1. Reasons for forgery
00:03:44 – 1.2. Nature of forgery

00:04:19 – 2. Challenges of forgery
00:04:55 – 2.1. Questions of the lecture
00:05:29 – 2.2. Goals of the lecture

00:06:09 – 3. Forgery and ethics
00:06:34 – 3.1. Forgers as betrayers of truth
00:11:09 – 3.2. Efficiency of the moralization of science?

00:13:14 – 4. Forgery and the construction of scientific knowledge
00:13:29 – 4.1. Frequency of forgery
00:15:09 – 4.2. Science as a human construction
00:19:44 – 4.3. The historical development of science

00:22:14 – 5. Forgery and the historicity of evidence
00:22:19 – 5.1. The contingency of historical sciences
00:25:19 – 5.2. Solutions for historical sciences’ evidence
00:26:04 – 5.3. Examples of archeological forgeries
00:29:39 – 5.3.1. The forgery of Moulin Quignon
00:43:19 – 5.3.2. The forgery of the Piltdown man

00:58:02 – Conclusion