Article ID: CBB689424823

Does democracy require value-neutral science? Analyzing the legitimacy of scientific information in the political sphere (2021)

unapi

Philosophers now commonly reject the value free ideal for science by arguing that non-epistemic values, including personal or social values, are permissible within the core of scientific research. However, little attention has been paid to the normative political consequences of this position. This paper explores these consequences and shows how political theory is fruitful for proceeding in a world without value-neutral science. I draw attention to an oft-overlooked argument employed by proponents of the value free ideal I dub the “political legitimacy argument.” This argument claims that the value-free ideal follows directly from the foundational principles of liberal democracy. If so, then the use of value-laden scientific information within democratic decision making would be illegitimate on purely political grounds. Despite highlighting this unaddressed and important argument, I show how it can be rejected. By appealing to deliberative democratic theory, I demonstrate scientific information can be value-laden and politically legitimate. The deliberative democratic account I develop is well suited for capturing the intuitions of many opponents of the value free ideal and points to a new set of questions for those interested in values in science.

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Authors & Contributors
Wayne Melville
Pinto, Manuela Fernández
Tuboly, Adam Tamas
Stefania Achella
Donald Kerr
Boscarino, Giuseppe
Concepts
Philosophy of science
Science and politics
Objectivity
Values (philosophy)
Science and society
Democracy
Time Periods
21st century
Modern
20th century
Early modern
Medieval
Ancient
Places
United States
Brazil
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