A simple, systematic and integrity-preserving model for values in science

Project Information

SYSVAL

Grant agreement ID: 101066502

DOI

10.3030/101066502

Project closed

EC signature date 1 August 2022

Start date 1 September 2022

End date 31 August 2024

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 222 727,68

Coordinated by

UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SYSVAL (A simple, systematic and integrity-preserving model for values in science)

Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In the face of controversial debates about the appropriate influence of extra-scientific values (such as social, economic or political considerations) in scientific reasoning, which provide only complicated guidelines on a case-by-case basis, a confused image of science arises in the view of policy makers, the wider public, and even scientists. Such unsettled debate has a potential negative impact on the trust the general public puts in science. Worse, it can be used by science deniers to support their undermining enterprise. This is why progress on this issue is of paramount importance. A simple and systematic model for incorporating extra-scientific values in scientific reasoning, while at the same time preserving its integrity, is sorely needed. This is what this project aims to achieve.
1. The project will start with a systematic analysis of the philosophical debate about values in science, in order to make an inventory and classify the various positions according to criteria such as value-freedom or value-ladenness, kinds of value, types of influence, priority of some values over others, etc.
2. Among these, a selection, at the conceptual level, will be made of the best candidate for a simple, systematic and integrity- preserving value-laden model -- which is the main methodological assumption of this project.
3. This model will be criticized and optimized, at the conceptual level (for both theoretical and practical goals), by providing: possible adjustments, complementations, objections, or simplifications.
4. This model will be confronted to an empirical case study in regulatory toxicology to illustrate, expand or revise it.
5. Finally, the conceptual and empirical findings will be synthesized to reach an optimized (simple, systematic and integrity-preserving) model.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project has followed the above planning: 1) review of the philosophical literature on values in science; 2) identification of promising candidate models (Sven Ove Hansson's corpus model and Gregor Betz's "hedged" hypotheses); 3) combination and optimisation of this model (see Stamenkovic (2023 & 2024a below); 4) case study on scientists' own normative views (11 interviews of regulatory toxicologists performed, see publication below); 5) Synthesis of the conceptual and empirical findings (see Stamenkovic (2024a) below).
Additional activities has been performed, inspired by the work performed in this project: one publication on the necessity for philosophy of science to remain relevant for scientific practice and policy-making (Stamenkovic, 2024b) and one separate publication on the actor-network theory in science studies (Stamenkovic, forthcoming).
Concretely, the project has led to:
-- The publication of four peer-reviewed articles:
• Stamenkovic, Philippe (2024b). ‘On the (lack of) usefulness of professional philosophy of science’, Pli: Warwick Journal of Philosophy, 35: 167-192.
• Stamenkovic, Philippe (2024a). “Straightening the Value-Laden Turn: Minimising the Influence of Extra-Scientific Values in Science”. Synthese, 203:20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-023-04446-2
• Stamenkovic, Philippe (2023). “Remarks on Hanssons's model of value-dependent scientific corpus”, Lato Sensu 10 (1): 39-62. https://doi.org/10.20416/LSRSPS.V10I1.4
• Stamenkovic, Philippe (2022). “Some challenges of hybrid online teaching for non-elective courses”, in Nyíri Kristóf ed., Facing the Future, Facing the Screen, Perspectives on Visual Learning, vol.5 Budapest: Hungarian Academy of Sciences, pp. 239-242. ISBN 978-963-421-841-8. [http://www.hunfi.hu/nyiri/FFF/Vol_5_final.pdf||http://www.hunfi.hu/nyiri/FFF/Vol_5_final.pdf]
-- Two additional article are forthcoming:
• Stamenkovic, Philippe (forthcoming). ‘The actor-network fantasy’, Dialogues in Sociology.
• Stamenkovic, Philippe and Tuboly, Adam (forthcoming). “The Legacy of the Value-Free Ideal of Science: Introduction to the Topical Collection”, Synthese.
-- Two additional peer-reviewed articles are about to be submitted:
• Stamenkovic, Philippe. ‘The views of toxicologists on extra-scientific values. Consequences for the philosophical debate on values in science.’
• Hansson, S. O. and Stamenkovic, Philippe. ‘Gaps in the gap argument’.
-- Three peer-reviewed presentations:
“Choice of the working hypothesis: where should we place the burden of proof?”, annual congress of the Société de philosophie des sciences, Paris, 31 May-2 June 2023.
“Conflicts between intra- and extra-scientific valuations of scientific error”, “Malfunction, error, failure. How to learn from scientific mistakes?” conference, Budapest/online, 25-26 May 2023. Invited speaker.
“Some challenges of hybrid online teaching for non-elective courses”, in “Facing the Future, Facing the Screen: 10th Budapest Visual Learning Conference”, organized by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Corvinus University of Budapest, Budapest/online, Nov. 17, 2022.
-- 6 other academic presentations:
“The overestimated influence of non-scientific values in science”, Science and Democracy research group, Oslo University, 23/02/2024.
“On the (lack of) usefulness of professional philosophy of science”, Inter-departmental seminar, Department of Philosophy, Uppsala University, 19/01/2024.
“Empirical insights on values in science gathered from interviews of scientists”, The Higher Seminar in Theoretical Philosophy, Uppsala University, 07/12/2023.
“The error argument for values in science: some remaining issues”, higher seminar in philosophy at KTH, Stockholm, 26/04/2023.
“Objectivity relativised: a comparative study between Ernst Cassirer and Philipp Frank”, The Higher Seminar in the History of Philosophy, Uppsala University, 02/03/2023.
“Remarks on Hansson’s model of value-dependent scientific corpus”, The Higher Seminar in Theoretical Philosophy, Uppsala University, 14/09/2022.
-- The organisation of the international workshop “The Legacy of the Value-Free Ideal of Science” at Uppsala University (Sweden), on February 16-17 2023, with 10 invited speakers.
-- The creation of the topical collection “The Legacy of the Value-Free Ideal of Science” at Synthese journal, for which the researcher has been lead guest editor, in charge of approximately 30 articles.
-- The researcher acting as a contact person for, and participating to, the week (23-27/10/2023) on academic freedom organised by the ‘Democracy and Higher Education’ research programme of Uppsala University at the Swedish Collegium of Advanced Studies (Uppsala).
-- A participation in the MTA Lendület Research Group “Value Polarizations in Science. Between the Value-Free and Value-Laden Ideal” (principal investigator: Adam Tuboly), 2021-2026, Hungarian Academy of science.
-- A guest lecture on values in science, Uppsala University (Sweden) at Bachelor level.
-- Some dissemination and popularisation activities (see dedicated section).
-- A validation of the Academic Teacher Training Course at Uppsala University equivalent of 5 weeks full-time work (9 days of on-campus scheduled sessions, 16 study days dedicated for individual and group work).

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The results of the projet run contrary to mainstream philosophical literature on values in science, where authors advocate the influence of extra-scientific values on scientific reasoning including when this can threaten the truth of scientific knowledge. Instead, the project made clear that:
-- the truth and objectivity of scientific knowledge must, and can be, preserved while at the same time ensuring the social responsibility of science through extra-scientific value influence;
-- the latter can be achieved by separating proof standards for accepting claims in the scientific corpus, from proof standards for accepting claims serving as a basis for extra-scientific (e.g. political) decision-making;
-- additionally, uncertainties associated with claims should be clearly stated instead of being bridged by values (as recommended by proponents of values): this is not incompatible with reaching claims precise enough for being useful for policy-making (contrary to what these proponents claim).