Hosted by the GPH Center for Bioethics
Join Dr. Mikkel Gerken for a conversation as part of the Fall 2022 Bioethics Lunch Talk Series. He will critically evaluate an increasingly popular science communication strategy – Value-Based Reporting.
It has it that science reporters should, whenever feasible, report a scientific hypothesis in a manner that appeals to the social values of the intended recipients. The strategy is motivated by empirical research which suggests that motivated cognition is a central reason for laypersons’ selective science skepticism about politically polarizing issues such as climate, vaccines, crop GMOs etc. Dr. Gerken argues that while the empirical reasons for adopting Value-Based Reporting are strong ones, this strategy faces serious challenges in delivering on other desiderata for science communication. He then considers an alternative positive science communication strategy – Justification Reporting – according to which science reporters should, whenever feasible, report appropriate aspects of the nature and strength of scientific justification, or lack thereof, for a reported scientific hypothesis (Gerken 2022). He'll conclude by arguing that although Value-Based Reporting and Justification Reporting may initially appear to be incompatible competitors, there are interesting ways of integrating them.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Mikkel Gerken is a Danish philosopher. His recent research concerns epistemology and philosophy of science but it is often integrated with theories of language and communication, cognitive psychology, philosophy of mind, and philosophical methodology. Professor Gerken was an Associate Professor at the University of Edinburgh before returning to his native Denmark, where he is now Professor at the University of Southern Denmark. He is an associate editor of Ergo - an open access journal of philosophy. He has been William H. Bonsall Visiting Associate Professor at Stanford University. He was an elected member of The Young Academy under the Royal Danish Academy of the Sciences and was awarded a Young Elite Researcher prize from the Danish Council for Independent Research. His most recent book is Scientific Testimony. Its roles in science and society. (Oxford University Press 2022).
This event is free and open to all members of the NYU community. All current COVID-19 policies apply. You must have an NYU ID card and an active Violet Go pass to enter the building.