When are Fossils Data?

Abstract

Existing accounts of data are unclear about whether the epistemic role objects play makes them data, or whether data have to be produced by human interaction with the world – these two features can come apart. I illustrate this ambiguity using the case of fossil data, which have rich histories and undergo many processes before they are encountered by humans. I then outline several philosophical positions that would resolve the ambiguity moving forward, and elaborate on my preferred option.