ABSTRACT
Covid-19 exposed the fact of expertise to most of us. Confronted with a global pandemic, we inevitably depend on experts and expert knowledge to make sensible and effective policies. This chapter discusses the ambition to combine arguments from discussions in philosophy with real-world examples and lessons from empirical scholarship. The primary rationale for expert arrangements is to fulfill an epistemic function. Expertise is supposed to be an epistemic “filter” in the making of laws and policies. Reports from governmental advisory commissions in the Nordic countries are regularly sent out for scrutiny in broad hearing processes. Epistemic considerations may also speak in favor of putting expert judgments under review in broader fora. The positive epistemic effects of deliberation also depend crucially on diversity. Social and political pluralism may contribute to the epistemic pluralism that we know is decisive for deliberative quality.
