This event is co-hosted with Boston Review: [ Ссылка ]

You can order a copy of the autumn/fall issue of Boston Review on “Imagining Global Futures” here: [ Ссылка ]

Is science getting at the truth? Those who spread doubt about science tend to argue that scientists were “sure” in the past, and then they ended up being wrong.

In this conversation with Jana Bacevic, philosopher of science Peter Vickers looks to historical investigation and philosophical-sociological analysis to defend science against this potentially dangerous scepticism. Indeed, Vickers argues, we can confidently identify many scientific claims that are future-proof: they will last forever, so long as science continues. For Vickers, a scientific claim is “future-proof” when the relevant scientific community is large, international, and diverse, and at least 95% of that community would describe the claim as a “scientific fact”. In the entire history of science, no claim meeting these criteria has ever been overturned, despite enormous opportunity.

Peter Vickers is Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of the Centre for Humanities Engaging Science and Society (CHESS) at the University of Durham, UK. His research interests include philosophy of astrobiology, social epistemology, and the relationships between evidence, facts, and truth.

His new book, Identifying Future-Proof Science, is published by Oxford University Press: [ Ссылка ]
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Jana Bacevic is assistant professor at Durham University, UK, and member of the editorial board of The Philosopher. Her work is in social theory, philosophy of science, and political economy of knowledge production, with particular emphasis on the relationship between epistemological, moral, and political elements.
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