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Inductive Risk, Science, and Values: A Reply to MacGillivray.

Daniel J Hicks1, P D Magnus2, Jessey Wright3

  • 1University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USA.

Risk Analysis : an Official Publication of the Society for Risk Analysis
|December 25, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The argument from inductive risk (AIR) challenges the value-free ideal in science. This analysis argues that while some criticisms of AIR are valid, the core concerns about inevitable value-laden choices in scientific inquiry remain unresolved.

Keywords:
Argument from inductive riskrisk assessmentuncertainty analysisvalue-neutralvalues in science

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Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Science
  • Ethics in Science
  • Risk Assessment

Background:

  • The value-free ideal of science posits that scientific inquiry should be free from external values.
  • The argument from inductive risk (AIR) is a primary challenge to this ideal, particularly in risk assessment.
  • Brian MacGillivray's work defends the value-free ideal against AIR in the context of risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To clarify the core issues surrounding the argument from inductive risk.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of MacGillivray's criticisms of AIR in the context of risk assessment.
  • To underscore the necessity of acknowledging and managing values in scientific decision-making.

Main Methods:

  • Critical analysis of the argument from inductive risk.
  • Examination of Brian MacGillivray's philosophical arguments.
  • Philosophical argumentation and conceptual clarification.

Main Results:

  • MacGillivray's criticisms effectively address certain formulations of the AIR.
  • However, these criticisms do not fully resolve the fundamental concerns motivating the AIR.
  • Scientific inquiry inherently involves trade-offs that necessitate value judgments.

Conclusions:

  • The value-free ideal in science, especially in risk assessment, is challenged by unavoidable inductive risks.
  • Explicit recognition of the role of values in scientific choices is crucial.
  • Further development of methods and institutional support for value-laden scientific decisions is required.