by Barry A. Liebling
According to multiple surveys conducted by The Pew Research Center the proportion of Americans who regard scientists as trustworthy and making positive contributions has declined a lot since the onset of the Covid epidemic in 2020. While this is true of both Democrats and Republicans, Republicans are more likely to have “not too much or no confidence” in scientists than Democrats.
And there is more. In 2019 more than two-thirds of Republicans and a similar percentage of Democrats agreed that “science has had a mostly positive effect” on society. But in the Pew 2023 survey Republican positive regard fell to less than half, while Democrats were still above the two-thirds mark.
https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2023/11/14/americans-trust-in-scientists-positive-views-of-science-continue-to-decline/
The results of the multi-year surveys reflect both a good trend and a troubling state of affairs for the United States.
Consider the good news first. Who are scientists, and what do they do? While anyone can engage in science, “official scientists” have educational credentials and work in a setting where research is done. This includes schools at all levels, government agencies, health care providers, and industrial concerns.
If you query scientists about their political orientation you will find individuals of every persuasion, but they are not evenly distributed. The most high-prestige, influential, powerful scientists and science administrators are mostly members of the leftist cabal.
A huge proportion of the research done in this country is funded by federal, state, and local government agencies. People who work in government and provide money for scientific research usually award grants to investigators who support the leftist-progressive agenda. And conversely, research that contradicts or challenges “the left narrative” is unlikely to receive government support.
In 2020 when the Covid crisis swept the country the behavior of “official scientists” was displayed for everyone to see. Government-affiliated scientists made assertions about Covid and demanded that Americans comply with their directives. And it turned out that much of their policy recommendations were flawed (everyone should wear a mask, the vaccine will prevent transmission of the disease, children are at risk for serious infections and should be schooled from home, social distancing is necessary,…).
Notice that there were two serious problems with members of the science elite. They were simply wrong in their pronouncements regarding the Covid epidemic. But also they were brazenly bossy and used the power of government to bully citizens into submission. Incidently, the science ruling class is similarly on the wrong track and dictatorial as it relentlessly pushes climate alarmism and attempts to stifle any alternative explanations.
Of course, from the beginning there were scientists who recognized the fallacies of the government directives. However, the dissenters were smeared by the ruling nomenklatura as being guilty of spreading misinformation and disinformation. Furthermore, government operatives in cahoots with the mainstream media did everything they could to cancel or ban rival commentators.
These events explain the erosion of respect for scientists. It is obvious to any observer that scientists – like people in any profession – have political loyalties. And some of the most famous scientists do not hesitate to use their authority to get their way.
The revelation of bad behavior is good news because it teaches Americans that granting blind trust and obedience to “official scientists” is wrong-headed. All people – regardless of their professional credentials – are subject to making errors. Pay attention to what individual scientists say, but do your own research and verify. The progressive-left gang that is dominant in the United State has demonstrated how much (how little) it should be trusted.
Now consider the bad news. Science is an intelligent method for understanding how the world works. It consists of careful observations, the design and interpretation of surveys and experiments, open discussions about how theories are consistent with reality, and constant reevaluations and refinements. Everyone should engage in science, and “official scientists” ought to be very skillful and committed to this method.
The problem is that the progressive-left elite has loudly proclaimed that genuine, legitimate science is an activity that is exclusively performed by scientists who are on their team. They insist that investigations and findings that contradict the party line are not real science. During the height of the Covid pandemic the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Anthony Fauci, infamously asserted that people who disagree with him are rejecting science.
It is unfortunate that many people accept the fallacy that the elite politically-connected scientists have a monopoly on discovering the truth. The validity of every person’s work – regardless of political affiliation – should be subject to verification.
Scientists can act honestly or can behave disgracefully. But the scientific method – properly understood – is always appropriate.
*** See other entries at AlertMindPublishing.com in “Monthly Columns.” ***