Research

My overarching research interest is in the possibility of objective knowledge in the face of intractable disagreements and incompatible knowledge claims, in both the natural and human sciences. The project has been carried out in three inter-related strands: 

  1. Foundational: Relativism and Pluralism and the possibility of objectivity
  2. Historic: Pragmatist and Neo Pragmatist responses to the problems of truth and objectivity
  3. Practical: Expert Knowledge, Disagreement and the question of who to trust.

These strands have been present throughout my research and the following is a selection of projects whose investigations involve these very questions.

Science and Democracy

(2023–25)

What is the relation between science and democracy and what should it be? A viable democracy must make well-informed decisions, and science is often regarded as the most authoritative form of knowledge. This raises important questions about the division of labor between citizens and democratic institutions, on the one hand, and science and experts, on the other. What is this relation and what should it be? Read more…

PEriTiA

Policy, Expertise and Trust in Action (2020–23) 

PEriTiA was an EU-funded project that investigated public trust in expertise.
In a world that is increasingly reliant on knowledge and scientific evidence, trust in expertise is crucial to the achievement of progress as well as to our well-being. We need experts to help policymakers and citizens take the correct decisions when it comes to such important areas as our health or climate change. Read more…

PERITIA: New tools and insights to better connect citizens with democracy

In 2024, citizens go to the polls for the European Parliament elections. In the face of reduced trust in governance, increased political polarisation, and growing external threats to democracy, this Results Pack highlights 15 Horizon-funded projects exploring the current challenges to democracy, and testing innovative solutions that support better engagement with the democratic process. Read more…

PERITIA RESULTS: Measuring public trust in experts, from COVID to climate change

Have people had enough of experts? Interdisciplinary research by the EU-funded PERITIA project has produced a toolkit to help policymakers better understand the role of expertise in steering public opinion. Read more…

PERITIA@UCD: understanding and fostering trust in experts and expertise

As demonstrated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the role of expert advice in policy decisions can be a matter of great urgency, sometimes even life-and-death. In response to crises such as the pandemic and climate change, PERITIA, a multidisciplinary Europe-wide project led by UCD, sought to understand the pressing issue of public trust in scientific expertise, and the role of experts in policymaking. The team unpicked many of the nuanced factors that affect public trust in expertise, and they communicated their findings widely, via publications, events, policy documents, parliamentary presentations, deliberative mini publics, and educational materials, including podcasts and an online Trustworthiness Toolkit. Together, these efforts have reached more than 2 million people, informing public debate and helping foster trust in experts. Read more…

WExD

When Experts Disagree (2015)

An interdisciplinary study involving Epistemologists, philosophers of science, astrophysicists and environmental scientists. The project specifically addresses the societal challenge of climate change. The motivation for these studies is due to not having a good understanding of the underlying conditions for disagreements among peer experts and their impact. Read more…

The American Voice in Philosophy

(2008–14)

Based in the School of Philosophy at University College Dublin, The American Voice in Philosophy is an interdisciplinary initiative aiming to foreground the literary and historical dimensions of philosophy in America. It is our stated aim to broaden the scope of American philosophy from the analytic tradition as narrowly understood to the discipline’s potential affinities with U.S. intellectual history and literary studies. Read more…