Philosopher Nancy Cartwright on why people doubt science and the need for interdisciplinary research

Nancy Cartwright, a leading figure in the philosophy of science, spoke about the roots of public mistrust toward scientific authority, linking it to socioeconomic disenfranchisement she observed growing up in Pennsylvania. She emphasized that while isolated disciplines can refine tools—biology through controlled experiments, physics through precise measurements—real-world applications demand collaboration across specialties, citing the design of high-precision relativity experiments as an example.

Cartwright challenged deterministic views, arguing that outcomes become unpredictable when additional variables, such as magnetic fields or wind, intervene. She described her work as part of a broader generation that re-introduced causality into social-science analysis, stressing the importance of probabilistic reasoning in fields like clinical trials. Receiving the 2025 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Humanities, she noted that the current climate of skepticism calls for sociological and anthropological insights beyond her own expertise. Finally, she advocated for philosophers to help scientists interrogate the meaning behind equations, especially in areas like quantum mechanics.