Public trust in science has shown a certain resiliency, but it is being tested like never before.Public trust in science has been in the spotlight in recent years: After the US presidential election in November, one Wall Street Journal headline declared that "Science Lost America’s Trust.” Another publication called 2024 “the year of distrust in science.”Some of that may be due to legitimate concerns: Public health officials have been criticized for their lack of transparency during critical moments, including the COVID-19 pandemic. And experts have noted the influence of political factors. For instance, the first Trump administration repeatedly undermined scientists—a trend repeating in his second term so far.
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196 sats \ 1 reply \ @SimpleStacker 18 Feb
Here's the issue. Not all science is equal.
As a "science", the field of "public health" is more of a sociological science than a biological or physical one. Since it's based a lot more on human behavior, its results are not always broadly applicable beyond the social setting in which the research was conducted. Therefore, making policy based on social scientific results needs to be done with way more caution and humility than was shown during COVID.
I'm a social scientist myself, so it's not like I don't think it's useful or that I don't trust it at all. But people have to be realistic about what it is and what it isn't. And using social science to coerce people into lockdowns and all sorts of violations of liberty and conscience is way overstepping.
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60 sats \ 0 replies \ @south_korea_ln 18 Feb
Yeah, very true about not all science being viewed equal. If a scientist claims observation of a new phase of matter in some material, people will likely trust it even if they can't understand it. It's harder to dispute exact (what's in a name) science than social science.
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85 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined 18 Feb
We'll see, because it's about to take another battering as more government malfeasance comes out.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @f451da2d6d 19 Feb freebie
Science is doing fine. This article was typed on and being read on a device made by science. You entire lifestyle is a thing thanks to science. Electricity, transportation, factories, airplanes, computers all work fine.
The article is not about science in general, it's about trust in public health officials and their policies.
The human body has an estimated 80,000 to 400,000 unique protein types, and the number of interactions between them could be even higher. The human body is the most complex structure in the universe, and understanding how it works is probably what we'll end up needing AGI for, because no human can grasp it all. What's even more complicated is that the human body is not only a system with functions and reactions, but it can also influence itself through our minds, as the nervous system can switch certain functions on and off. Belief, Sprunki Retake, the increased efficacy of a therapy involving people in white coats all prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.
And this faltering trust in medical science seems to be due to the nature of the media and social networks, which blow everything out of proportion where we need to be more cautious, discreet and calm. But this obviously won't sell and won't earn millions of impressions.