Truth or Truths?

Founded in 1976, the Wetenschappelijke Raad voor Regeringsbeleid (WRR) strives to independently provide the Dutch government with advisory reports on policy making and societal developments on the long term. Coming from a political philosophy perspective, in this thesis, I aim to investigate the philosophical notion of a pragmatist truth in connection with such reports. Consequently, the following thesis is proposed: “To what extent is the philosophical notion of truth relate with the concept of plurality, with regards to the WRR’s advisory reports?” This is investigated through the three dimensions of policy making, which have led to a change in the landscape of policy making: polity, knowledge and intervention. Besides, a distinction is made between classical-modernist institutions and new political spaces. Using these theories, the WRR is evaluated. Based on these findings, this thesis argues whether a trade-off exists between a truth or plurality of truths in policy advisory reports.