A Virtue Approach to Managing Expert Disagreement
Joe Roussos
18 January 2024
How should experts respond when they discover that they disagree amongst themselves? I examine this question in a particular context: academic experts acting as policy advisors during times of crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic. Reflecting on the aims of policymaking and the challenges of expert advising during the pandemic, I propose a list of virtues that experts should aspire to when filling the advisor role. Using these virtues, I argue that experts out to be cautious and conciliatory about disagreements, rather than defending their own positions vociferously. I close by discussing on some implications of this view.
