Hanna Metzen
Bielefeld University
There are two different ways in which philosophers of science think about the nature of appropriate trust in science: as based on objectivity or as based on shared values. According to the first view, we can trust in what scientists say if their claims are the output of objective research processes. According to the second view, scientists are trustworthy if the values that inevitably end up in their claims align with the values held by the trustors.
Now, some authors argue that trust based on objectivity is actually mere reliance, not genuine trust. They draw on a distinction that philosophers of trust following Baier have made with respect to interpersonal trust, where genuine trust has some normative element to it that is missing in cases of mere reliance.
However, I will show that both types of trust in science are trust in a normative sense. By linking the trust in science debate to the literature on interpersonal trust, I will provide an integrated treatment of what the normative elements of trust in science are. This is significant in that, beyond references to Baier, there is surprisingly little connection between both areas of philosophy. Interpreted in a pluralist way, the different accounts of interpersonal trust are helpful in understanding the different versions of trust in science. In particular, I will show that while Baier’s goodwill account can capture trust in science based on shared values, Hawley’s commitment account is able to explain how objectivity grounds genuine trust in science. The two types of trust in science are of different normative thickness: Trust based on objectivity is less thick, yet distinguishable from mere reliance.
My talk has thus two overall aims: First, I will show that there are plural forms of trust in science. Trust in science can be based on shared values, but also on objectivity. And second, I aim to demonstrate that the literature on interpersonal trust can be fruitfully integrated into the debate on trust in science.
Chair: Cristina Somcutean
Time: September 6th, 16:00-16:30
Location: SR 1.007
SOPhiA 2026 