Åsa Wikforss

{{Short description|Swedish professor of theoretical philosophy}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Åsa Wikforss

| image = Åsa Wikforss in 2019.jpg

| alt = Åsa Wikforss

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|7|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = Gothenburg, Sweden

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Swedish

| other_names =

| occupation = Professor of philosophy

| years_active =

| known_for =

| notable_works = {{bulleted list|Alternativa fakta: Om kunskapen och dess fiender ("Alternative facts: On knowledge and its enemies")|Därför demokrati: Om kunskapen och folkstyret (That's the reason for democracy: On knowledge and rule by the people)}}

| module = {{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes

| office = Member of the Swedish Academy
(Seat No. 7)

| termstart = 20 December 2019

| termend =

| predecessor = Sara Danius

| successor =

}}

}}

Åsa Wikforss (born 25 July 1961) is a professor of theoretical philosophy at Stockholm University, and a member of the Swedish Academy.

Wikforss does research in the intersection of philosophy of mind, language and epistemology and has published widely on a variety of topics in the area. She is a member of several international research networks and research councils and was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In September 2017 she published Alternativa fakta: Om kunskapen och dess fiender ("Alternative facts: On knowledge and its enemies"). The book was gifted to over 100 000 gymnasium students for the Christmas of 2019, but was criticized in an article from Svenska Dagbladet for statistical errors on the topic of Swedish schools.{{cite web|last1=Dellert|first1=Mattias|last2=Hill|first2=Siri|title=Åsa Wikforss kritiseras för bristande källkritik i boken "Alternativa fakta"|trans-title=Åsa Wikforss criticized for poor information evaluation in the book ”Alternativa fakta”|url=https://www.svt.se/kultur/asa-wikforss-kritiseras-for-bristande-kallkritik|work=SVT Nyheter|language=sv|date=3 February 2020|access-date=3 February 2023}}

In 2018 she has had over a hundred public appearances, speaking about knowledge and knowledge-resistance, in Sweden and beyond. She participates frequently in the public debate in Sweden, in print as well as on TV and radio.{{cite web |title=Åsa Wikforss |url=http://www.cccb.org/en/participants/file/asa-wikforss/231150 |website=Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona |publisher=CCCB |accessdate=12 April 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.forskning.se/2002/05/28/sveriges-forsta-kvinnliga-docent-i-teoretisk-filosofi/|title=Sveriges första kvinnliga docent i teoretisk filosofi |date=28 May 2002 |website=forskning.se |language=sv-SE|access-date=12 April 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www2.philosophy.su.se/wikforss/area-of-speciality.html|title=Professor Åsa Wikforss|website=www2.philosophy.su.se|access-date=12 April 2019}} On 9 May 2019 she was elected as a member of Swedish Academy, to succeed Sara Danius on seat 7. She was formally inducted on 20 December 2019.{{cite news|title=Wikforss om Danius: "Hon ville inte avguda utan avkoda" |url=https://www.svt.se/kultur/fyra-nya-ledamoter-installeras-under-svenska-akademiens-hogtidssammankomst |publisher=Sveriges Television|date=20 December 2019 | accessdate=27 April 2020| language=sv}}

In 2021 Wikforss published Därför demokrati: Om kunskapen och folkstyret (That's the reason for democracy: On knowledge and rule of the people), a followup book to Alternativa fakta that discusses the motivations for democracy along with the political system's relation to truth.{{cite web|last=Westerberg|first=Ola|title=Wikforss: Dags att berätta varför demokrati är bra|trans-title=Wikforss: time to explain why democracy is a good thing|url=https://www.ui.se/utrikesmagasinet/intervjuer/asa-wikforss-dags-att-beratta-varfor-demokrati-ar-bra/|magazine=Utrikesmagasinet|publisher=Swedish Institute for International Affairs|language=sv|date=26 May 2021|access-date=3 February 2023}}