Economics is erratic, politics is manipulated, but at least science is objective, certain and consequently predictable. This image of science runs deep in the minds of most people when they consider scientific issues. Despite significant methodological difficulties, scientists have developed structured, rigorous and operational approaches to evaluating and deciding under conditions of genuine uncertainty. These achievements however do not appear to carry enough weight in the controversies surrounding “uncertain” sciences; while scientists work on reducing or taming uncertainty, many powerful and well-organized actors in the economy, in politics and in the media, are busy denying scientific results and fabricating more uncertainty than actually exists, in order to undermine policies that hurt their particular interests and ideological prejudices. This seminar will discuss issues on how to deal with uncertainty in science and decision, and how to manipulate uncertainty in science and decision. The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Claude Henry of IDDRI Sciences-Po Paris and Columbia University. The location of the lecture will be at Linné Hall, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Lilla Frescativägen 4 in Stockholm.
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