Ortmann, Jakob (2025) Performative Paternalism. [Preprint]
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Abstract
Performativity refers to the phenomenon that scientific conceptualisations can sometimes change their target systems or referents. A widely held view in the literature is that scientists ought not to deliberately deploy performative models or theories with the aim of eliciting desirable changes in their target systems. This paper has three aims. First, I cast and defend this received view as a worry about autonomy-infringing paternalism and, to that end, develop a taxonomy of the harms it can impose. Second, I consider various approaches to this worry within the extant literature and argue that these offer only unsatisfactory responses. Third, I propose two positive claims. Manipulation of target systems is (a) not inherently paternalist and can be unproblematic, and is (b) sometimes paternalist, but whenever such paternalism is inescapable, it has got to be justifiable. I generalise an example of modelling international climate change coordination to develop this point.
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Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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Keywords: | performativity, reflexivity, values in science, politics, paternalism | ||||||
Subjects: | General Issues > Science and Society General Issues > Science and Policy General Issues > Values In Science |
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Depositing User: | Jakob Ortmann | ||||||
Date Deposited: | 16 Feb 2025 13:43 | ||||||
Last Modified: | 16 Feb 2025 13:43 | ||||||
Item ID: | 24754 | ||||||
Subjects: | General Issues > Science and Society General Issues > Science and Policy General Issues > Values In Science |
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Date: | 2025 | ||||||
URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/24754 |
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