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May 4, 2022 · Some polls show that “science” and “medicine,” defined broadly, retain high overall trust in the United States, right up there with the military. Where people turn skeptical is when scientists draw conclusions about issues that pluck sensitive chords — namely, telling people what to do.
- Untrustworthy Scientists
- Resistance
- Contradictions
- Political Amplification
- Understanding Anti-Science
The first key reason people are anti-science is that they don’t see scientists as credible. This happens when scientists’ expertise is questioned, when they are deemed untrustworthy and when they appear biased. Although debate among scientists is a healthy part of the scientific process, many lay people interpret legitimate scientific debate as a s...
People also tend to reject scientific information when it conflicts with their social identities. For example, video gamers are resistant to scientific evidence for the harms of playing video games. People may also identify with social groups that reject scientific evidence and hate scientists or those who agree with scientists. For example, those ...
People often reject science because of their beliefs, attitudes and values. When scientific information contradicts what people believe is true or good, they feel uncomfortable. They resolve this discomfort by simply rejecting the science. For people who have smoked their entire lives, the evidence that smoking kills is uncomfortable because it con...
Political forces are powerful contributors to anti-science attitudes. This is because politics can trigger or amplify all four of the key reasons for being anti-science. Politics can determine which sources seem credible, exposing people with different political ideologies to different scientific information and misinformation. Politics is also an ...
All in all, these core determinants of anti-science attitudes help us understand what is driving rejection of diverse scientific theories and innovations, ranging from new vaccines to the evidence for climate change. Fortunately, by understanding these bases for being anti-science, we can also better understand how to target such sentiments and inc...
Feb 4, 2022 · Untrustworthy science can and should be discounted and challenged, but uncertainty in science is unavoidable, and scientific characterization of uncertainty can be extremely useful when decision-makers have strategies for making decisions amidst that uncertainty.
Oct 9, 2020 · For example, a majority of Americans trust science as long as it does not challenge their existing beliefs. To the question “When science disagrees with the teachings of your religion, which...
Feb 4, 2022 · Untrustworthy science can and should be discounted and challenged, but uncertainty in science is unavoidable, and scientific characterization of uncertainty can be extremely useful when decision-makers have strategies for making decisions amidst that uncertainty.
Jul 18, 2022 · Untrustworthy scientists. The first key reason people are anti-science is that they don’t see scientists as credible. This happens when scientists’ expertise is questioned, when they are deemed untrustworthy and when they appear biased.
People also ask
Can untrustworthy science be challenged?
Why are scientists distrusted?
Should science require scientific expertise to assess trustworthiness?
Do certainties undermine the scientific process?
Is public (dis)trust a problem in science education?
How do scientists communicate about the degree of uncertainty in scientific claims?
Dec 27, 2022 · The trustworthiness of science should not require scientific expertise to assess. Expert Heather Douglas of Michigan State University argues in this think piece that trustworthiness should be based on the presence of expertise, good expert community functioning, and shared values.
