Karim Bschir heads Ethics Committee at University of St. Gallen

With the beginning of 2021, Branco Weiss alumnus Karim Bschir has assumed the post as Managing Director of the Ethics Committee and Lecturer at University St. Gallen in Switzerland. Karim Bschir’s research focuses on topics in the general philosophy of science with strong bearings upon the role and responsibility of science in society. Many of his contributions are inspired by the works of the philosopher of science Paul Feyerabend. A book collected volume on Feyerabend, co-edited by Karim, will appear in the next few weeks at Cambridge University Press.

One central topic in Karim Bschir’s research are science-based predictions and the uncertainty related to science-based forecasts. Understanding the limits of scientific prediction is crucial in dealing with complex problems. Accordingly, the way in which predictive uncertainties are dealt with and communicated is a matter of great public concern. Karim investigates the epistemic and practical importance of predictive practices in modern science. He is aiming to provide an overview of episodes in the history of science, during which debates about predictions emerged within the scientific community. Another focal point of his research are philosophical issues related to prediction. Karim makes an effort to compliment philosophical considerations with examples of predictive practices in current science. Some of the issues that arise in this context are epistemological problems related to the limited predictive capacity of non-linear dynamical models, prediction in the context of Big Data, and the problem of decision-making under predictive uncertainty.

The book on Paul Feyerabend appears in February/March 2021.

Karim recently also published an article in the European Journal for Philosophy of Science on a current debate in epigenetics.

Another publication discusses expertise and pluralism with respect to the ongoing pandemic (in German). This was based on a recent paper in History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences.