University of Twente Philosophy Lectures 2023-2024
16 May 2024, 14:45-16:30, Cubicus C238 Ravelijn 2502
Jacob Stegenga
Professor in the History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge
Proportionality and Inductive Risk in the Fog of War
Abstract: Violent acts in war are held to a principle of proportionality: the harms resulting from that act must be proportionate to the goods resulting from that act. Assessing proportionality can be seen as a problem of estimation which typically occurs under extreme epistemic constraints. I argue that proportionality estimates face a problem of inductive risk, which renders them deeply value-laden and permissive.
Short bio: Jacob Stegenga is a Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of Medical Nihilism and Care and Cure: An Introduction to Philosophy of Medicine, and has published widely in general philosophy of science. He is currently writing a book tentatively titled Heart of Science. During the academic year 2023–24 Jacob is a Senior Fellow at Leibniz University Hannover.
