Why there’s no such thing as “the” scientific advice

Professor Stephen John

• 17 February 2025, 18:00 – 19:00
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre

Upcoming event Booking Recommended In-person Lecture Lent Term

• Event cost: Free
• Disabled access?: Yes
• Booking required: No

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Overview

During the Covid-19 pandemic, U.K. policy-makers claimed to be "following the science". Many commentators objected that the government did not live up to this aim. Others worried that policy-makers ought not blindly "follow" science, because this involves an abdication of responsibility. In this talk, I consider a third, even more fundamental concern: that there is no such thing as "the" science. Drawing on the case of adolescent vaccination against Covid-19, I argue that the best that any scientific advisory group can do is to offer a partial perspective on reality. In turn, this has important implications for how we think about science and politics. 

Biography

Stephen John is a Professor of Philosophy of Public Health at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, and Director of Studies in Philosophy at Pembroke College.

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