Applying a Practical Philosophy of Science to Improve Policymaking

Can philosophy be of use to policymakers facing urgent problems, such as rapid climate change, violent fundamentalism, and mass migration? This session proposes ways that philosophy can help overcome stumbling blocks to using knowledge for societal good. It will address fundamental questions, including how to appropriately apply lessons from case studies; how science can address moral, cultural, and political concerns; and how we can know if a policy has produced the desired outcomes. Speakers will discuss improvements and limits to objectivity, implications for policy, and when data count as knowledge. A practical, socially oriented philosophy of science has a central role in informing answers to these questions.