Events

November 6-7, 2025

Final Conference of the PRIN 2022 PNRR - DISCERN

Distrust in Science Reframed: Understanding and Countering Anti-scientific Behavior

Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts

Roma Tre University, Rome

A healthy relationship between science and the public is essential. While the public benefits from scientific advancements, science too often needs the public in order to advance – especially in domains concerning public health and environmental policymaking. Ideally, this relationship should be grounded in mutual trust, enabling both science and the public to benefit from one another while cultivating important values such as critical thinking, and rational deliberation.

However, several factors threaten this trust. Within science, issues such as the replication crisis, confirmation bias, and historical associations with non-egalitarian values dent its credibility as a trustworthy institution. Externally, climate change denial, fake experts, and propaganda driven by corporate interests (e.g., tobacco and oil industries) pollute the epistemic environment, thereby weakening public reasoning. In this conference, we aim to explore the possible causes of public distrust in science, the rise of anti-scientific attitudes, and potential remedies for these epistemic and practical challenges.

Confirmed Keynote Speakers:

Finnur Ulf Dellsén (University of Iceland)
Katherine Dormandy (University of Vienna)
Katherine Furman (University of Liverpool)

We invite submissions researchers working in philosophy, politics, or related disciplines. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

trust and distrust in scientific institutions;
the role of values in science;
vaccine hesitancy;
conspiracy theories;
trust in experts;
anti-scientific politics;
fake news and misinformation;
science communication and journalism;
public engagement with science.

Please submit anonymized abstracts of no more than 500 words, suitable for a 25-minute presentation. Include a separate cover page with your name, institutional affiliation, and email address. Submissions should be sent to finalconference25@gmail.com by August 15th, 2025. Notification of acceptance will be sent by September 14th 2025.

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Past events:

28 April 2025

11:30 – 18:30

Ethical and Epistemic Issues in Science Communication

Workshop

Università di Genova
Via Balbi 2, Genova – Aula Magna

Programme:

11:30

Michel Croce (University of Genoa), Welcome and Opening Remarks

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11:45

Giulia Terzian (NOVA University Lisbon), Reckless Reporting

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12:45

Lunch Break

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14:00

Federico Bina (University of Genoa), The Epistemic Harms of Normative Trespassing

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15:00

Anna Ichino (University of Milan) & Tommaso Piazza (University of Pavia), Conspiracy Theories and Conspiracy Thinking

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16:00

Carlo Martini (San Raffaele University), Using ∃vidence Against Science

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16:30

Coffee Break

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17:30

Mikkel Gerken (University of Southern Denmark), Discursive Deception

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18:30

Concluding Remarks

Organizers: Federico Bina, Michel Croce & Maria Silvia Vaccarezza (University of Genoa)

The workshop will be in person only. Participation is free but registration is needed. Please register by sending an email to federico.bina@edu.unige.it

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24-25 January 2025

(Dis)trust in Science Reframed

Aula Volta, Sede Centrale dell’Università,
Corso di Strada Nuova 65, Pavia

Maintaining and increasing public trust in science has arguably never been more difficult a challenge for experts and institutions than today. Climate change denialism, vaccine hesitancy, and populist politics are prominent contexts where anti-expertise sentiments spread and lead people to take worrisome decisions. But is “distrust in science” a credible global explanation of why people engage in anti-scientific behavior? Recent work in social science and psychology started to challenge this prominent narrative. As such, the phenomenon needs a more nuanced explanation that the worn-out label “distrust in science” cannot provide. This Workshop provides a philosophical contribution to this multi-disciplinary endeavor by pursuing a twofold objective: namely, to offer a comprehensive framework of the reasons why people engage in anti-scientific behavior, and to develop a model for counteracting its detrimental effects.

Keynote speakers

· Maya Goldenberg (University of Guelph, Canada)

· Robin McKenna (University of Liverpool)

Programme

24 January

11.00 Introduction

Chair: Mario De Caro (Roma Tre University)

11.20 Maya Goldenberg (University of Guelph), Misinformation, Disinformation, & Theorizing People with Whom We Disagree

Chair: Eleonora Severini (University of Pavia)

12.20 Carline Klijnman (University College Dublin), Vaccine Hesitancy and Moral Encroachment

13.00 Lunch

Chair: Mirko Garasic (Roma Tre University)

14.30 Silvia Ivani (University College Dublin), Vaccine Hesitancy and Rhetorical Spaces

15.10 Martina Calderisi (University of Turin), Akrasia and Science Denialism

15.50 Coffee break

Chair: Luca Fonnesu (University of Pavia)

16.30 Davide Versari (FINO/UPO), Towards a Social Approach to the Role of Experts in a Democratic Society

17.10 Arnon Keren (University of Haifa), Misunderstanding the Division of Cognitive Labor and Doing Your Own Research

25 January

Chair: Federico Bina (University of Genoa)

9.30 SuddhaSatwa GuhaRoy (Roma Tre University), Short-Form Videos and Barriers to Forming Accurate Beliefs

10.10 Michel Croce (University of Genoa), Journalism Ethics and the Problem of Public Expert Testimony

10.50 Coffee break

Chair: Sofia Bonicalzi (Roma Tre University)

11.20 Mara Floris (San Raffaele University), Challenges in Enhancing High School Students’ Ability to Identify Scientific Disinformation: Insights from Ecological Classroom Interventions

Chair: Tommaso Piazza (University of Pavia)

12.00 Robin McKenna (University of Liverpool), Doing Your Own Patient Activist Research

13.00 Lunch

Discussants: Federico Bina, Sofia Bonicalzi, Roberto Ciuni, Mario De Caro, Luca Fonnesu, Mirko Garasic, Tommaso Piazza, Eleonora Severini

Last update 21 July 2025