Implicit normativity in scientific advice - a case study of nutrition advice to the general public

摘要

This paper focuses on implicit normative considerations underlying scientific advice. On the basis of a case study of experts in human nutrition the paper tries to unfold two such implicit normative considerations in relation to the decision of scientific advisors to give public advice. The first concerns the aim of scientific advice - whether it is about avoiding harm or promoting good. The second consideration raises the issue of the main cause of concern in connection with the particular framing of scientific advice - the worst off members of society or the population at large ? The paper also presents arguments against an apparent tendency of nutrition scientists to reduce the normative dimensions of scientific advice to individual, subjective differences and thus to bypass reflection and debate. Some advisors seem to conceive ethical considerations as merely personal preferences which are therefore not the subject of a common discussion or deliberation. It is argued that such personalization is unfortunate because it helps to conceal the normative issues that come with the decision to give public advice and accordingly serves to blur that there are genuine normative issues at play in connection with scientific advice that could be the subjectof a systematic discussion. It will be concluded that the implicit normativity of scientific advice should rather be made explicit and hence debatable for scientific advisers and a wider public.