5 Jul 2019
How can Experts Recover their Legitimacy?
Session 1
The expansion of “fake news” and advent of so-called “post-truth politics” seems to mirror a serious weakening of the role of scientific knowledge in our societies, and more generally of scientific expertise to the benefit of beliefs (religious or not) and pure rhetoric. The purpose of this session is to discuss and refine this impression, and to analyze its implications for public decisions, societal debates, democracy and the future of enlightenment.
Three series of questions will be discussed, in a context in which technological and political upheavals urgently call for sound and legitimate knowledge:
– Is this loss of legitimacy of scientific expertise only apparent or it is a real trend? What are the reasons for it?
– Does it mean a loss of faith in science and enlightenment, or does it signal a technocratic drift and a misconception of the role of scientific knowledge in a democracy?
– What could and should be done to preserve enlightenment and enhance the role of scientific knowledge? What are the ethical and practical implications?
Contributions
Session 1 : How Can Experts Recover their Legitimacy?
This year’s Rencontres Économiques address the deterioration of trust in our societies. One area in which that deterioration has been apparent and commented on, at least in industrial countries, is science and expertise.
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Le Cercle des économistes
Founded in 2001 by Le Cercle des économistes, Les Rencontres Économiques d’Aix-en-Provence have become an incomparable meeting place for current economic thought from France, Europe and the world.
La Parole aux 18-28
