Variations on a Weberian Topic. On the Place of Science in Political Decision-Making

Abstract

The pandemic revives the classic debate about the role of science in political decision-making, especially in democracies. The author cites philosophers and political leaders, some of them pointing to the need for full confidence in science as a guide to politics and a rule of law that seeks certainty and security. However, other philosophers recall that the concept of science entails intrinsic uncertainty and error, since it is a dynamic process of accessing a knowledge with the potential of increasingly becoming more certain, but subject to falsifiability. The pandemic has highlighted the limits of politics but also of science, which, according to the author, would make it inadvisable to use science as a justification or substitute for political power. These limits should also dissuade from demands for accountability that are disproportionate to the real nature of politics and science.