Abstract:
Advocates of the precautionary principle often defend changes in scientific practices so that they facilitate the same objective as the principle: avoiding uncertain threats to the environment or human health. Science should be precautionary science. Despite the practical importance of precautionary science and its proximity with debates about science and values, it has not yet been systematically examined. In this article, I intend to contribute to the literature on precautionary science in two ways: by systematizing its previous literature, and by defining one of its main elements, epistemic precaution, as a specific orientation for managing inductive risk. I conclude with some objections that such a definition raises, as well as avenues for future research to address them.
Keywords:
Philosophy of science; Science and values; Precautionary science; Inductive risk