CEFISES Seminar: Federica Russo, “The epistemic and normative benefits of methodological pluralism”
Channel: CEFISES at UCLouvain
Date: 2023-05-01

Series: OLOFOS

Speaker: Federica Russo (University of Amsterdam and University College London)

Respondant: Juliette Ferry-Danini (UCLouvain)

Title: “On the epistemic and normative benefits of methodological pluralism”

Abstract

Techno-scientific practices are very diverse in terms of conceptual assumptions and methodological approaches across the sciences, and even within a given field or empirical study. A de facto existence of a plurality of methods raises immediately the question of the status of any pluralistic approach. In this talk, I first provide an overview of the multiple ways in which we encounter a plurality and diversity of methods across a number of techno-scientific domains. I then defend a qualified form of methodological pluralism, one that builds on the work on Hacking’s ‘styles of reasoning’ and on Ruphy’s ’foliated pluralism’. I argue that we ought to support a pluralistic stance concerning methods for both epistemic and normative reasons. In particular, I will expose the benefits of a pluralistic approach against the perils of ‘imperialistic’ attitudes, namely the tendencies and attempts to impose the supremacy and use of one method only. I illustrate my claims with examples from the biomedical and social sciences.