Empowering with evidence: Whom to empower with which evidence and what ends?

Hanne Andersen (University of Copenhagen), Federica Russo (University of Amsterdam), Sean A. Valles (Michigan State University), Guido Caniglia

Science is continuously developing new ways of gathering evidence and using it to investigate more and more complex aspects of human life and the world. To make decisions based on scientific evidence is not straightforward. Evidence can take different forms, have different weights, or be biased, inconclusive, or contradictory. How to empower with evidence therefore raises questions about how and by whom the evidence has been generated, whom to empower to make which decisions, and about how to use evidence in a way that is transparent and fair. The session will examine how evidence can be used to empower individuals and communities to make informed decisions and to take part in joint actions related to their health and well-being and to the sustainability of their social and environmental situations. Each talk will reflect on the relationship between evidence and empowerment by addressing the types of evidence that are mobilized, the individual or collective goals that are pursued, and how decisions are made transparent and fair. In conversation with the moderator, the speakers will compare their analyses, and focus on the following questions: How to ensure that evidence adheres to standards and values of transparency and fairness? What are appropriate non-coercive means of changing a community's values and attitudes? How can minority population's interests be protected from being overridden by an empowered majority?

Papers

• Whom to Empower with Machine Learning Hanne Andersen, Section for History and Philosophy of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, Denmark
• Empowerment As a Means of Promoting Public Health Sean A. Valles, Center for Bioethics and Social Justice, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
• What Evidence for Just Actions for Sustainability? Federica Russo, Dept. of Philosophy and ILLC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Netherlands