Richard Williams

Democracy–Participation–Expertise: Experimenting with Knowledge Systems Workshop | 27 Jan 2026

🕒 15:30–19:30 CET | 📍 TUM Think Tank
🎙️ Westphal, Williams, Setälä, Castiglione & Leonelli
💻 Online participation: email desantila.hysa@tum.de
ℹ️ Program: opensciencestudies.eu/events/

Los 10 pensadores tecnológicos más influyentes del mundo Vivimos una época en la que el futuro tiene más de amenaza que de promesa y más de imposición que de esperanza. Necesitamos leer y escuchar a pensadores que nos ayuden a entender lo que está ocurriend...

Feeling extremely honoured and grateful to be selected by @elpais.com as one of the 10 most influential thinkers in the world on tech, along with giants like @meredithmeredith.bsky.social and @dacemoglumit.bsky.social. Thanks so much for the shout-out. 🙏🙏🙏 #AIEthics elpais.com/ideas/2025-1...

Misha Glenny to replace Melvyn Bragg as In Our Time host on BBC Radio 4 Bragg stepped down in September after more than 27 years at the helm of the BBC Radio 4 show.

Misha Glenny will be taking over from Melvin Bragg on In Our Time

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Great science happens in great teams — research assessments must try to capture that Europe must reform the ways in which science is evaluated. To boost innovation, it must improve research culture.

Europe must reform the ways in which science is evaluated. To boost innovation, it must improve research culture, says David Budtz Pedersen

go.nature.com/3Y0652P

Call for Papers: Philosophy of Science in Public Policy
Synthese Topical Collection (Guest-Editors: Sabina Leonelli, Richard Williams, TUM)
Deadline: 10 April 2026
Submission: www.editorialmanager.com/synt/default...

Link: link.springer.com/collections/...

@philosophynow.bsky.social

Is democracy broken? How can we know if it still works?

My paper, “Does this democracy work?”, is now out in Economics & Philosophy:
doi.org/10.1017/S026...

Thank you to everyone who helped!

Metaphysics vs consciousness Consciousness has been a long-standing enigma for both science and philosophy. What is consciousness, is it real or illusory? And how does it relate to the universe? In this conversation, philosophers...

Consciousness has been a long-standing enigma for both science and philosophy. What is consciousness, is it real or illusory? | https://iai.tv/video/metaphysics-vs-consciousness

Philosophers Philip Goff and Hilary Lawson discuss Goff's version of panpsychism.

#consky

Science Lens: Future of research - GESDA This report anticipates key challenges related to future developments in international science and technology research. It then outlines potential opportu...

How may politics help scientists and society prepare for anticipated scientific breakthroughs? In the "Science Lens," @sabinaleonelli.bsky.social and I discuss the future of research.
Thanks to GESDA Global and @edinitiative.bsky.social for all their support!
radar.gesda.global/science-lens...

Today at CERN for 2025 Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipation Summit: summit.gesda.global/event/2025/ . Tomorrow I discuss "Who shapes the future of research" w Mehral Gul, Marie Leptin, Magdalena Skipper & Karthik Ramani…

Interested in how philosophy + STS can shape sustainable science?
@TUMunich is hiring a funded PhD (3 yrs, start Jan 2026) on the social + philosophical dimensions of computational modelling as part of the Horizon Europe FairCFD network.
Apply by Oct 15, 2025 → victoria.tommasini@tum.de

@williams-r-b.bsky.social, @paultrautt.bsky.social, Kim Hajek & Rena Alcalay managed to put a great #interdisciplinary panel on #uncertainty in data-intensive #research #practices together for @ishpssb2025.bsky.social. As part of it, I discussed uncertainty in the context of #research #security.

🧬 Excited for #ISHPSSB2025! The International Society for the History, Philosophy & Social Studies of Biology meets 20–25 July 2025 at the University of Porto, Portugal.
🔍 Program now live-sessions, papers & posters!
➡️ opensciencestudies.eu/ishpssb2025-...
#HPS #ISHPSSB #PhilosophyOfScience

Gathering thoughts after a fantastically productive workshop on Open Science, which brought together our team and advisors here in gorgeous springtime Munich! A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful colleagues and team - all slides and materials available here: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

How is data shaping the future of education, policy, and research?📈
Join EDI Town Hall 2025 in Munich (or online) on March 31 at the TUM Think Tank, 09:00-17:30!
🔗👇
ethicaldatainitiative.org/event/shapin...

Extreme stances about AI and LLMs in particular (be them deflationary or inflationary) are very likely wrong, valid and certainly not good for an healthy debate. But where do they come from? We (with @giadapistilli.com) argue that common cognitive biases may play a role:

osf.io/preprints/ps...