Thoughtlines: academic thinking outside the box
Series 1 | Episode 9: Anna Alexandrova – We are what we question
In this episode, we ask an expert on expertise what she knows for sure.
Dr Anna Alexandrova is a Reader in the Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, and the principal investigator for the Expertise Under Pressure project at CRASSH.
Her latest research is co-authored with people currently in severe financial hardship, and combines their insights and lived experiences with conventional academic approaches to articulate a more authentic, democratic understanding of what it means to truly ‘flourish’ – work which could have significant impact on the government’s current wellbeing agenda.
At a moment when expertise, globally, is under extreme pressure how can we make space for different ways of knowing? Is it reasonable to expect cast-iron certainty from our public experts? And what did Dr Alexandrova learn as a teenager that has shaped her whole career?
- Presented by broadcast journalist Catherine Galloway and produced by Carl Homer of Cambridge TV.
- Thoughtlines is available via most podcast platforms.
Learn more:
- Follow Anna Alexandrova and the Expertise Under Pressure team on Twitter via @ExpertiseUnder
- Anna’s writings can be found on her PhilPeople profile and her webpage. Her 2017 book A Philosophy for the Science of Well-being is now available in paperback.
- You can find out about her ongoing work on responsible science of wellbeing by following the Bennett Institute for Public Policy @BennettInst.
- Some recent articles include Wellbeing and Pluralism, Happiness Economics as Technocracy and Mental Health Without Wellbeing.
- And read more about national poverty charity Turn2Us and the co-production research work mentioned in this episode.