Re:The rise and fall of scientific authority, and how to bri...
by arduanika on Monday March 18, 2019 @09:34PM
(#19427284)
I think you and GP are pretty close to agreement on this point. The whole thing has a Will Rogers twang to it -- "We've got a public perception problem. To be specific, the public is too perceptive." (Not an actual quote, just the sort of thing he might have said).
I see it differently. The problem isn't the public. The public has actually done a commendable job sensing what's been going on. It's not fair - however unintentional - to tie the public to the problem. It's bad enough Science keep denouncing the public, when it's Science who has mucked up it's own reputation. The pubic is a mirror.
Science, much like journalism, has been drinking too much of its own Kool Aid. It has forgotten it can't just talk, but it needs to walk that talk, as well.
Science would also be wise to show some humility and admit when it's gotten something less than perfect. Yes, that is part of the process. Does Science understand that? Instead, it just sweeps those aside and keeps self-professing it's eternal greatness, and how we should bow our heads, etc.
Bill Nye? Neil deGrasse Tyson? These are the face of Science? Me thinks they got the wrong end. They are doing more harm than good.