How do scientists generate knowledge in groups, and how have they done so in the past? How do epistemically motivated social interactions influence or even drive this process? These questions speak to core interests of both history and philosophy of science. Idealised models and formal arguments have been suggested to illuminate the social epistemology of science, but their conclusions are not directly applicable to scientific practice. This paper uses one of these models as a lens and historiographical tool in the examination of actual scientific collectives. It centres on the analysis of two episodes from the history of photosynthesis research of the late nineteenth- to mid-twentieth centuries, which display a wide and coordinated intellectual diversity similar to Kitcher’s “division of cognitive labour” (1990). The concept, I argue, captures important aspects of the photosynthesis research communities, but the underlying process unfolded in ways that differ from the model’s assumption in interesting ways. The paper unravels how the self-organised interplay of cooperation and competition, and the dynamics of individual and collective goals within scientific communities were influential factors in the generation of knowledge. From there, some thoughts are developed on how historical and philosophical approaches in the analysis of science can productively interact.

科学家如何成组地产生知识？过去他们是如何产生的？认识论驱动的社会互动如何影响甚至驱动这一过程？这些问题符合历史和科学哲学的核心利益。有人提出了理想化的模型和形式论证来阐明科学的社会认识论，但它们的结论并不直接适用于科学实践。本文使用这些模型中的一种作为检验实际科学集体的镜头和历史学工具。它着重于对19世纪末至20世纪中叶光合作用研究历史中的两个事件的分析，这些事件显示出广泛而协调的智力多样性，类似于Kitcher的“认知分工”（1990）。我认为这个概念 捕获了光合作用研究社区的重要方面，但是潜在的过程以与模型的假设不同的方式以有趣的方式展开了。本文揭示了合作与竞争的自组织相互作用以及科学共同体内个人和集体目标的动态是如何影响知识生成的。从那里开始，人们对科学分析中的历史和哲学方法如何产生有效的相互作用产生了一些想法。科学社区内个人和集体目标的动态是知识生成的影响因素。从那里开始，人们对科学分析中的历史和哲学方法如何产生有效的相互作用产生了一些想法。科学社区内个人和集体目标的动态是知识生成的影响因素。从那里开始，人们对科学分析中的历史和哲学方法如何产生有效的相互作用产生了一些想法。