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Trust Science: Unlocking the Progress
Why do you think people relying on science are so obstinate about that? As scientists, we can be annoying; we usually ask for proof to believe in something.
Or we typically ask for the source of the facts mentioned. We do not do this on purpose; it is just how our brain functions, how we “were trained”.
Our work is about questioning, doubting, and testing our ideas. The more we do this, the more confident our results are.
Here are the first two parts of the saga: Part I and Part II.
Trusting, believing…
Why should the general population rely on scientists? We must trust, not believe. Trust means that there is something behind it, trust is based on something, not only a belief. Most knowledge about the world is a consequence of scientists’ work.
Life improving
Even though science is not perfect -as humans are not perfect- and has failures, it has plenty of victories throughout history, such as smallpox elimination or the up-to-date smartphone you are, perhaps, using to read this. Science saves our lives with vaccines and up-to-date treatments. Science saves our time with automatized apps that help with everyday work.
Science is Newton’s apple falling from the tree, the water falling from Arquimedes’ bathtub. Science is all the diagnostic equipment and techniques we use for health issues. Science has increased our life expectancy by 23 years in the last 70 years. Science lets us communicate with our family when they move to the other side of the world.
I could go on with examples indefinitely. Science has the power to improve our lives in ways that we cannot imagine.
The way that knowledge settles down.
Explanations or ideas do not settle down just because a well-known scientist says. Once a conclusion appears, it starts a rough path through different evaluations until it finally gets a consensus.
The first step is inside the same mind where the conclusion appears. The creator thinks and re-thinks about it. When ready, the scientist shares it with the circle of trust. The other team members analyse it and discuss opinions. At this point, new tests likely arise to strengthen the results.
After that, they are ready to go “out to the world”. They present the results at conferences, congresses, or symposiums. At this point, they could nurture the idea by engaging other scientists with different mindsets and approaches.
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Once the team circles up the conclusions, they write the academic paper. Then, colleagues with appropriate backgrounds revise it in detail before the final publication. The final consensus arrives after a period in which other scientists test the conclusion and agree with the findings.
Achieving trust
How much do you know about science policies in your country? Science also plays a role in politics. All leaders have a position about it. Clear public science policies are essential, and scientists must communicate their work effectively.
Scientists cannot expect people to believe them only because they are scientists. Education policies must ensure the population has the tools to understand their messages. Even though people do not have to understand a scientific paper, they should be able to evaluate some aspects of scientists and form their own opinions.
Sometimes, the debate seems endless, and the consensus discussed in the previous section takes time to arrive. What should we do when there is no time to wait for the consensus?
In cases where there is no time to build a reputation, feeling close to the scientist’s values is the key to achieving that trust. The sense that the people who describe the world align with the community’s ethics, morality, and line of thinking makes it easy to trust them.
There are three main pillars as a recipe for scientists to gain trust:
· They must have expertise.
· They must be engaged in a functional expert community with different backgrounds.
· They must share their values publicly.
For trust to appear, scientists must show empathy and seek people’s admiration through clear messages and explanations.
Scientific work is helpful and requires patience and discipline. We have much more reasons to trust scientists and their work than not to do that. Trust should be grounded on reasoning and objectivity, not faith.
References
What makes science trustworthy? A guide for the public
Trust, Honesty, and the Authority of Science
Why should we trust science? Because it doesn’t trust itself
¿Por qué deberíamos confiar en la ciencia? El peso de las razones
