Scientific knowledge is currently contested on multiple fronts. Researchers face demands for the immediate applicability of their work, and the relevance of the humanities and social sciences is especially questioned. Scientific results are also dismissed as reflecting researchers’ ideological biases – to the point that there have been calls for tighter political control of universities and other research institutions.
Such challenges threaten academic freedom and public trust in science. They also erode the very notion of knowledge and its connection to justification and truth. Indeed, the traditional conception of knowledge as “justified true belief” is now contested even within academia. It has been challenged by a descriptive notion of knowledge that invites us to treat any system of beliefs as equally plausible. While this broadening of perspectives is valuable, it may also undermine communication and create barriers between areas of knowledge.
Panelists
Chair: HCAS Fellows Prof. Imogen Tyler (Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies)
HCAS Fellows Prof. Stephen Finlay (Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies)
HCAS Fellows Dr. Annastiina Kallius (Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies)
HCAS Fellows Dr. Timo Miettinen (Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies)
Organiser: Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies