CfP: Mid-term Workshop in Distrust in Science Reframed

Distrust in Science Reframed: Understanding and Countering Anti-scientific Behavior. Philosophy Section of the Department of Humanities, University of Pavia. January 24-25, 2025

Call for papers

Maintaining and increasing public trust in science has arguably never been more difficult a challenge for experts and institutions than today. Climate change denialism, vaccine hesitancy, and populist politics are prominent contexts where anti-expertise sentiments spread and lead people to take worrisome decisions. But is “distrust in science” a credible global explanation of why people engage in anti-scientific behavior? Recent work in social science and psychology started to challenge this prominent narrative. As such, the phenomenon needs a more nuanced explanation that the worn-out label “distrust in science” cannot provide. This Workshop provides a philosophical contribution to this multi-disciplinary endeavor by pursuing a twofold objective: namely, to offer a comprehensive framework of the reasons why people engage in anti-scientific behavior, and to develop a model for counteracting its detrimental effects.

We invite submissions from researchers working on epistemological topics with an interest in understanding the social dynamics of distrust and developing strategies to counter anti-scientific behavior.

Topics of possible relevance include: distrust in science; anti-scientific behavior; social epistemology; non-ideal epistemology; virtue ethics; public trust; expertise; social dynamics of distrust; pseudo-science; epistemic fragilities and cognitive bias; social identity and political affiliation; political epistemology; epistemology of fake news; identity-protective distrust; the relation between epistemic oppression and distrust in science; the ethics of belief; the notion of moral and epistemic responsibility; post-truth thinking; conspiracy theories; epistemology of democracy; epistemic authority.

Confirmed keynote speakers

· Maya Goldenberg (University of Guelph, Canada)

· Robin McKenna (University of Manchester)

How to submit

Abstracts (approx. 400 words) suitable for blind review should be sent to the following address distrustworkshop2025@gmail.com by November 30, 2024. Notification of acceptance is due by December 10, 2024.