"Suivre la science" en temps de pandémie
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20416/LSRSPS.V12I1.2Keywords:
Philosophy of science, Science and society, Covid-19Abstract
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the ideas of "following the science" or "listen to scientists" were frequently mobilized as a rhetorical weapon to establish the legitimacy or superiority of policy decisions. In this article, we use this case study to discuss the use of scientific knowledge in policy-making.
We first critically discuss the "linear model", a view in which scientific consensus dictates policy decisions. This model proves to be counterproductive and sterile for complex decision-making situations, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
From these criticisms, we articulate a pluralist model, where policy options are constructed and informed by a dialogue between pluralist science and (non-)epistemic values. Finally, we show that the identified obstacles to the practical application of this model are either unfounded or do not concern pluralism in particular.
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