Karim Bschir pleads for more pluralism in science-based policy-making

Branco Weiss Alumnus Karim Bschir, together with co-author Simon Lohse, has published a new paper in Synthesemagazine discussing insufficient pluralism and associated problems in science-based policy advice during the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, Bschir and Lohse analyze political responses to the pandemic by addressing the issue of epistemic pluralism in science-based policy-making through the lens of Paul Feyerabend’s philosophy of science.

In their paper the authors discuss opportunities and challenges of integrating a plurality of viewpoints from within and outside science into policy advice thus contributing to discussions about normative issues concerning evidence and expertise in policy-making. They conclude: “While the integration of multiple perspectives and various types of evidence might be theoretically desirable, we understand that it is associated with a plethora of practical challenges.

However, these challenges are not unsurmountable, and we believe it is a worthwhile endeavour for scholars in various fields (philosophy, STS, political science etc.) to think about schemes that allow for more epistemic pluralism–and hence for better informed and more even-handed policy-making.”

Read the paper in Synthese