Restoring trust in science
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Loading... - Abahassine Chaimalo
- 21 Feb 2023
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From the growing presence of artificial intelligence in our daily lives to new medical therapies, advances in science and technology affect us all, mostly in positive ways. But the pace of change brought about by science can lead to bewilderment and fear, especially among those unfamiliar with the culture of scientific research.
Scientific discovery is a complex process that often involves years of trial and error, as well as debates over statistical significance, causation, and other technical issues. It is this complexity that partly explains why science is not better understood by more people; it also partly explains why skepticism about science has exploded to new heights.
Consider the conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine misinformation that have proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic. To be sure, these developments also reflect growing distrust of government and institutions and acute political polarization in many countries. But these issues feed on the meaty scientific skepticism and misunderstandings that arise (especially) during what are arguably black swan events like Covid-19. Even trying to determine the degree of momentum is difficult, with firm measures hard to come by and not clearly correlated with skepticism about vaccines or climate change.
Doubts about the legitimacy of science cannot be resolved without recognizing that science has not always been put to good use. From the Tuskegee study of syphilis to the well-paid experts who attested to the safety of tobacco, history provides myriad examples of harm done by those who claim the mantle of science. But these cases are not representative of the entire scientific enterprise. Most scientists do what they do because they are dedicated to advancing the frontiers of human knowledge.
While the anti-vaccine movement long predates COVID-19, the pandemic breathed new life into it in part because scientists were trying to make sense of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its impact publicly and in real time. . The discovery that the virus could be transmitted by asymptomatic carriers and was primarily airborne marked a turning point.
Most people then rightly hailed the arrival of life-saving vaccines, which they saw as a testament to the agility, expertise and social value of the scientific community. Although the new vaccines were delivered in record time, they were just the latest chapter in a long saga of miraculous breakthroughs dating back to smallpox and polio vaccines.
But now that increasing numbers of people are skipping vaccinations for their children, polio and other preventable scourges are making an alarming, albeit still limited, comeback. Stranger still, many of those who have resisted COVID-19 vaccines have been willing to turn to untested and baseless remedies. Unfortunately, that's what happens when people come to see all of science as a black box. Read More…
