scholarly journals Social Empiricism and Science Policy

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-82
Author(s):  
Kristina Rolin ◽  
K. Brad Wray
Keyword(s):  
Science Policy ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Contemporary Philosophy ◽  
Epistemic Responsibility ◽  
Scientific Rationality ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Philosophical Debate ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
The Social ◽  
Novel Theory

Miriam Solomon’s *Social Empiricism* is an exceptional work in contemporary philosophy of science in that it aims to contribute to science policy, and not merely to a philosophical debate about the social nature of scientific knowledge. In an attempt to contribute to science policy, Solomon proposes a novel theory of scientific rationality. She claims that we should evaluate scientific communities on the basis of how well they succeed in distributing research effort, instead of evaluating the reasoning and decision-making of individual scientists. We argue that Solomon’s anti-individualist theory of scientific rationality does not provide an adequate account of epistemic responsibility. We argue also that social empiricism fails to be relevant to science policy because science policy makers are not capable of identifying the kind of factors that social empiricism deems as relevant to science policy.

scholarly journals 人工智能批判的話語悖論

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-137
Author(s):  
Fen LIN
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Medical Accident ◽  
The Relationship

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract in English only.In the dominant discourse of the "human–machine relationship," people and machines are the subjects, with a mutually shaping influence. However, this framework neglects the crux of the current critical analysis of AI. It reduces the problems with new technology to the relationship between people and machines, ignoring the re-shaping of the relationship between "people and people" in the era of new technology. This simplification may mislead policy and legal regulations for new technologies. Why would a robot killing cause more panic than a murder committed by a human? Why is a robot's misdiagnosis more troubling than a doctor's? Why do patients assume that machines make more accurate diagnoses than doctors? When a medical accident occurs, who is responsible for the mistakes of an intelligent medical system? In the framework of traditional professionalism, the relationship between doctors and patients, whether trusted or not, is based on the premise that doctors have specialized knowledge that patients do not possess. Therefore, the authority of a doctor is the authority of knowledge. In the age of intelligence, do machines provide information or knowledge? Can this strengthen or weaken the authority of doctors? It is likely that in the age of intelligence, the professionalism, authority and trustworthiness of doctors require a new knowledge base. Therefore, the de-skilling of doctors is not an issue of individual doctors, but demands an update of the knowledge of the entire industry. Recognizing this, policy makers must not focus solely on the use of machines, but take a wider perspective, considering how to promote the development of doctors and coordinate the relationship between doctors with different levels of knowledge development. We often ask, "In the era of intelligence, what defines a human?" This philosophical thinking should be directed toward not only the difference between machines and people as individuals, but also how the relationship between human beings, i.e., the social nature of humans, evolves in different technological environments. In short, this commentary stresses that a "good" machine or an "evil" machine—beyond the sci-fi romance of such discourse—reflects the evolution of the relationships between people. In today's smart age, the critical issue is not the relationship between people and machines. It is how people adjust their relationships with other people as machines become necessary tools in life. In the era of intelligence, therefore, our legislation, policy and ethical discussion should resume their focus on evolutionary relationships between people.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 41 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.

scholarly journals Drug Policy, Paternalism and the Limits of Government Intervention

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Hirst
Keyword(s):  
Drug Policy ◽  
Human Flourishing ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Government Action ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Gerald Dworkin

Gerald Dworkin provides an insightful starting point for determining acceptable paternalism through his commitment to protecting our future autonomy and health from lasting damage. Dworkin grounds his argument in an appeal to inherent goods, which this paper argues is best considered as a commitment to human flourishing. However, socialconnectedness is also fundamental to human flourishing and an important consideration when determining the just limits of paternalistic drug controls, a point missing from Dworkin’ essay. For British philosopher Thomas Hill Green, regulation of alcohol sales emerged from the social ideal. Green argued that policy interventions, including restricted opening hours and locations, improved the conditions for humans to flourish. Green offers a compelling political vision but fails to account for the fact pleasure is also an inherent good. He focused excessively on our social nature, excluding our more pleasure-seeking and egoistic characteristics. In contrast, a more realistic and complete vision of human flourishing can be found in an amended version of Gerald’s Dworkin’s arguments. In conclusion, this paper argues drug policy makers should remain committed to the harm principle as applied to criminal law whereby a person should never be criminalized for self-harm. Such a limit on paternalistic interventions is deemed necessary when eudaimonia is the end of government action. In practical terms, this means that the criminalization of drug use, as opposed to drug production, is always unjust.

Political psychology in the digital (mis)information age: A model of news belief and sharing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Joseph Van Bavel ◽  
Elizabeth Ann Harris ◽  
Philip Pärnamets ◽  
Steve Rathje ◽  
Kimberly Doell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cognitive Psychology ◽  
Information Age ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Integrative Model ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The Social

The spread of misinformation, including “fake news,” propaganda, and conspiracy theories, represents a serious threat to society, as it has the potential to alter beliefs, behavior, and policy. Research is beginning to disentangle how and why misinformation is spread and identify processes that contribute to this social problem. We propose an integrative model to understand the social, political, and cognitive psychology risk factors that underlie the spread of misinformation and highlight strategies that might be effective in mitigating this problem. However, the spread of misinformation is a rapidly growing and evolving problem; thus scholars need to identify and test novel solutions, and work with policy makers to evaluate and deploy these solutions. Hence, we provide a roadmap for future research to identify where scholars should invest their energy in order to have the greatest overall impact.

Sentencing Policy as a Force for Social Cohesion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Henham
Keyword(s):  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Social Values ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Social Forces ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Normative Approach ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sentencing Policy

This chapter sets out the case for adopting a normative approach to conceptualizing the social reality of sentencing. It argues that policy-makers need to comprehend how sentencing is implicated in realizing state values and take greater account of the social forces that diminish the moral credibility of state sponsored punishment. The chapter reflects on the problems of relating social values to legal processes such as sentencing and argues that crude notions of ‘top down’ or ‘bottom up’ approaches to policy-making should be replaced by a process of contextualized policy-making. Finally, the chapter stresses the need for sentencing policy to reflect those moral attachments that bind citizens together in a relational or communitarian sense. It concludes by exploring these assertions in the light of the sentencing approach taken by the courts following the English riots of 2011.

The Logic of Affect

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Markwica
Keyword(s):  
Choice Behavior ◽  
Choice Theory ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Coercive Diplomacy ◽  
Limited Ability ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
The Social ◽  
Alternative Action ◽  
Action Model

Chapter 2 develops the logic of affect, or emotional choice theory, as an alternative action model besides the traditional logics of consequences and appropriateness. Drawing on research in psychology and sociology, the model captures not only the social nature of emotions but also their bodily and dynamic character. It posits that the interplay between identities, norms, and five key emotions—fear, anger, hope, pride, and humiliation—can shape decision-making in profound ways. The chapter derives a series of propositions how these five key emotions tend to influence the choice behavior of political leaders whose countries are targeted by coercive diplomacy. These propositions specify the affective conditions under which target leaders are likely to accept or reject a coercer’s demands. Even when emotions produce powerful impulses, humans will not necessarily act on them, however. The chapter thus also incorporates decision-makers’ limited ability to regulate their emotions into the logic of affect.

scholarly journals Military Veterans and Welfare Reform: Bridging Two Policy Worlds through Qualitative Longitudinal Research

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Lisa Scullion ◽  
Katy Jones ◽  
Peter Dwyer ◽  
Celia Hynes ◽  
Philip Martin
Keyword(s):  
Welfare Reform ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Uk

There has been an increasing focus in the UK on the support provided to the Armed Forces community, with the publication of the Armed Forces Covenant (2011), the Strategy for our Veterans (2018) and the first ever Office for Veterans’ Affairs (2019). There is also an important body of research – including longitudinal research – focusing on transitions from military to civilian life, much of which is quantitative. At the same time, the UK has witnessed a period of unprecedented welfare reform. However, research focused on veterans’ interactions with the social security system has been largely absent. This article draws on the authors’ experiences of undertaking qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) to address this knowledge gap. We reflect on how QLR was essential in engaging policy makers enabling the research to bridge the two parallel policy worlds of veterans’ support and welfare reform, leading to significant policy and practice impact.

The Tinder Games: Collective mobile dating app use and gender conforming behavior

2021 ◽  
pp. 205015792110050
Author(s):  
Sabrina Sobieraj ◽  
Lee Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
Dating Apps ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Multi Phase ◽  
Gender Specific

Mobile dating apps like Tinder became very popular among young adults, and, in contrast to mobile dating websites, they were designed to create a more game-like experience. While it is well documented that seeking entertainment is one core motivation for mobile dating app use, the social nature of entertainment has garnered less attention. Therefore, in this paper we draw on research on entertainment in dating apps and the socio-physical contexts of use to identify patterned behaviors of heterosexual users. To do this, we employed a qualitative multi-phase research approach. First, we conducted 20 interviews with mobile dating app users. Based on the findings from that study, we conducted gender-specific focus groups and a discourse analysis to explore the social phenomena identified in phase one. Our findings suggest the fun of mobile dating is not just interacting with potential matches through the apps, but the use of the apps among one’s friends. These “dating games” are entertaining, but importantly mitigate potential social or physical risks of mobile dating. Unsurprisingly, notions of “play” across the interview, focus group, and discourse analyses reflect highly gendered practices surrounding mobile dating apps and different risks associated with such games.

A proposal to enhance national capability to manage epidemics: The critical importance of expert statistical input including official statistics

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
N.I. Fisher ◽  
D.J. Trewin
Keyword(s):  
Data Streams ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Economic Welfare ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Novel Virus ◽  
High Level ◽  
Integration Analysis

Given the high level of global mobility, pandemics are likely to be more frequent, and with potentially devastating consequences for our way of life. With COVID-19, Australia is in relatively better shape than most other countries and is generally regarded as having managed the pandemic well. That said, we believe there is a critical need to start the process of learning from this pandemic to improve the quantitative information and related advice provided to policy makers. A dispassionate assessment of Australia’s health and economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic reveals some important inadequacies in the data, statistical analysis and interpretation used to guide Australia’s preparations and actions. For example, one key shortcoming has been the lack of data to obtain an early understanding of the extent of asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic cases or the differences across age groups, occupations or ethnic groups. Minimising the combined health, social and economic impacts of a novel virus depends critically on ongoing acquisition, integration, analysis, interpretation and presentation of a variety of data streams to inform the development, execution and monitoring of appropriate strategies. The article captures the essential quantitative components of such an approach for each of the four basic phases, from initial detection to post-pandemic. It also outlines the critical steps in each stage to enable policy makers to deal more efficiently and effectively with future such events, thus enhancing both the social and the economic welfare of its people. Although written in an Australian context, we believe most elements would apply to other countries as well.

scholarly journals Ethical dilemmas are really important to potential adopters of autonomous vehicles

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tripat Gill
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Social Dilemma ◽  
Innovation Adoption ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
The Social ◽  
Legal And Ethical Issues ◽  
Theoretical Standpoint

AbstractThe ethical dilemma (ED) of whether autonomous vehicles (AVs) should protect the passengers or pedestrians when harm is unavoidable has been widely researched and debated. Several behavioral scientists have sought public opinion on this issue, based on the premise that EDs are critical to resolve for AV adoption. However, many scholars and industry participants have downplayed the importance of these edge cases. Policy makers also advocate a focus on higher level ethical principles rather than on a specific solution to EDs. But conspicuously absent from this debate is the view of the consumers or potential adopters, who will be instrumental to the success of AVs. The current research investigated this issue both from a theoretical standpoint and through empirical research. The literature on innovation adoption and risk perception suggests that EDs will be heavily weighted by potential adopters of AVs. Two studies conducted with a broad sample of consumers verified this assertion. The results from these studies showed that people associated EDs with the highest risk and considered EDs as the most important issue to address as compared to the other technical, legal and ethical issues facing AVs. As such, EDs need to be addressed to ensure robustness in the design of AVs and to assure consumers of the safety of this promising technology. Some preliminary evidence is provided about interventions to resolve the social dilemma in EDs and about the ethical preferences of prospective early adopters of AVs.

Gender Norms and Household Labor: Time Use in the Context of Social Class Differentiation in Transitional China

2021 ◽  
pp. 048661342199044
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Zhun Xu
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Time Allocation ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Market Process ◽  
Nutrition Survey ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
The Social ◽  
Transitional China

This paper studies the historical evolution of China’s gender relations through the lens of housework time allocation. In particular, we highlight the role played by social class and income. Drawing upon data from the Chinese Health and Nutrition Survey, we find that during the period 1991–2011, being a peasant or earning less than the spouse was increasingly associated with a higher share of housework. The market process appears to have indirectly improved the social status of women (most likely rural women) married to peasant husbands as measured by the former’s declining housework share. Such changes, however, have not challenged traditional patriarchal norms in the countryside and have even facilitated the rise of a new market-based patriarchy. Policy makers should empower women by tackling the different faces of patriarchy as a whole. JEL Classification: B51, J16, P16

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