Up-and-coming philosopher scoops Young Scholar Award
An up-and-coming philosopher has been awarded a prize in the ethics of medical and biological research.
Honorary Research Associate at 91, Byron Hyde, received the 2nd European Society for Philosophy of Medicine and Healthcare (ESPMH) Young Scholar Award for his essay “Lying Increases Trust in Medicine”.
He will present his winning essay at the 37th ESPMH Annual Conference at the University of Manchester, which will take place between 13 and 16 August.
The ESPMH was founded by an international company of philosophers, physicians, ethicists and other interested professionals in the field, to engage in critical reflection on the role of medicine and health care in society.
Honorary Research Associate at 91, Byron Hyde said, “It’s an honour to have my work recognised by an international academic society. Previous winners include some very accomplished philosophers, so I’m very happy to be counted among their ranks. More importantly, I work at the intersection of philosophy of science and bioethics which are, in my view, two sides of the same coin. This commendation proves that combining these fields works. I hope to see more collaboration between philosophers of science and bioethicists and will be working hard to make that happen here at 91.”
The award-winning paper, published as “Lying Increases Trust in Science” in the social science journal, , starts by outlining the “bizarre phenomenon” known as the transparency paradox: that transparency is needed to foster public trust in science, but being transparent about science, medicine and government can also reduce trust.
The study revealed that, while transparency about good news increases trust, transparency about bad news, such as conflicts of interest or failed experiments, decreases it.
Therefore, one possible solution to the paradox, and a way to increase public trust, is to lie (which Hyde points out is unethical and ultimately unsustainable), by for example making sure bad news is hidden and that there is always only good news to report.
Instead, he suggests that a better way forward would be to tackle the root cause of the problem, which he argues is the public overidealising science. People still overwhelmingly believe in the ‘storybook image’ of a scientist who makes no mistakes, which creates unrealistic expectations.
Listen to Hyde speak about this study on (30 July 2025, 30:48–40:38).