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SUMMARY:Pulling away from science\, epistemic self-reliance\, and the tale
  of Thabo Mbeki - Katherine Furman (University of Liverpool)
DTSTART:20250130T153000Z
DTEND:20250130T170000Z
UID:TALK227053@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr. Rosanna Dent
DESCRIPTION:When relations between science and society are going well\, me
 mbers of the public can straightforwardly use scientific information in th
 eir decision-making. When things go awry and trust breaks down\, people se
 ek out substitutions to fulfil the epistemic functions that trust in scien
 ce previously satisfied. One way to do this is to adopt a DIY approach and
  'do your own research'.\n\nPlenty has been written philosophically on the
  phenomenon of 'doing your own research'\, mostly from and about north Ame
 rican and western European contexts. The implied epistemic agent is typica
 lly someone who values autonomy in the extreme\, is deluded about their ow
 n capacities\, has a contrarian character\, and may enjoy the novelty of f
 iguring things out for themself. However\, if we change the cases\, 'doing
  your own research' may look different.\n\nIn this talk\, I provide a deta
 iled case study of Thabo Mbeki and his AIDS denialism. Thabo Mbeki was Sou
 th Africa's president from 1999 to 2008\, and when he began his political 
 career\, he completely accepted the mainstream scientific position on HIV/
 AIDS. However\, Mbeki began to distrust this science as he came to suspect
  that it was premised on racist values. He engaged in substantial independ
 ent evidence-gathering and developed AIDS policies on that basis\, with tr
 agic consequences. Mbeki's story is undoubtedly a cautionary tale against 
 'doing your own research'\, but he is far-removed from the parody of an au
 tonomy-obsessed agent\, dabbling in science for the fun of it. He is deepl
 y invested in the success of his country and its people\, and he takes thi
 s role extremely seriously. In fact\, it seems that it is the seriousness 
 of his commitments that lead him astray.  \n\nOverall\, this talk hopes to
  provide a slightly different story about 'doing your own research'. It al
 so aims to highlight how the selection of cases for philosophical analysis
  can substantially alter how we understand the phenomenon under study\, an
 d so choosing cases should be approached with care.
LOCATION:Hopkinson Lecture Theatre\, New Museums Site
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