Philosophy may help bridge the gap between science and policy: researcher

New Delhi: Good evidence-based policy also needs to address philosophical questions, new research suggests, adding that philosophers may be able to bridge the gap between science and policy Ta.

Philosophical expertise can help shape public policy, especially when dealing with complex problems such as those faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published in the journal Nature Human Behavior. It is said that there is.

Anne Schwenkenbecher, from Australia’s Murdoch University’s School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, says that philosophers often find it difficult to solve complex problems when there are many interconnected factors and no single optimal solution. He said he could help tackle it.

The research team showed that good evidence-based policy needs to incorporate philosophical questions.

“We have shown that some of the problems in applying scientific evidence to public policy are philosophical in nature: How much evidence do we need? , what does the evidence actually show? What obligations should policymakers seek? ” and obtain the evidence? ” said lead author Schwenkenbecher.

The researchers say that philosophical theories of knowledge, or epistemology, can lend themselves to “transparency in reasoning,” which involves revealing the processes, evidence base, and reasons that lead to the adoption of particular public policies. This includes:

“Philosophical expertise helps clarify decision-making when we have the challenge of bringing together experts from different disciplines with different methodologies and unique perspectives, as happened in our own countries. , helps integrate philosophical, especially ethical and epistemological considerations into policy-making, as new problems arise and experts try to find the best policies and solutions. It was during the coronavirus pandemic,” Schwenkenbecher said.

But despite these benefits, the researchers said there are challenges to adopting philosophical engagement as the “standard” for interdisciplinary scientific research.

“First, it is a matter of numbers: academic philosophers are far outnumbered by scientific researchers, and so not many scientists have the opportunity to experiment with how best to co-create and innovate with philosophical expertise,” the authors write.

Such a situation could cause friction in collaborative research that brings in new philosophers, they said.

“Pacing also presents challenges. Philosophical discussions and the continuous back-and-forth that philosophers often use to gain conceptual clarity can feel uncomfortable for scientists. It can sometimes be difficult to mesh different methodologies on a daily basis with “collaboration,” the authors write.

However, they said the challenge is relevant and applicable to any interdisciplinary endeavor.

“In an increasingly interdependent world, there is no question that tackling ambitious questions at the interface of science and policy requires broad interdisciplinarity between the sciences. “Expanding this to include other areas would also have immeasurable benefits,” the authors concluded.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to the text.