Andrew Peacock
asked
Neil deGrasse Tyson:
Hey Neil, I’ve noticed that certain individuals respond to the realms of climate change or COVID-19 vaccinations by pointing fingers at cases in which scientific expertise has failed them — such as the abuse of DDT/insecticides, or our anthropocentric understanding of Earth’s location in the universe. How do you respond to people who attribute their distrust in scientific authorities to these precedents?
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Excellent question. Often they are cherrypicking failures and ignoring the successes. 35,000 people die each year in the US in auto accidents. Yet people continue to drive cars every day. So what people cherrypick seems to be a matter of their religion, politics, or culture, and not something based on rational statistical analysis.
More broadly, science on the frontier will be wrong most of the time. That's the whole point of repeated observations and experiments. Only when there's scientific agreement from multiple research paths can we declare that science has established an objective truth. And when that happens, it's not later shown to be false.
In Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization, there's a whole chapter that explores the meaning of scientific truths.
FYI: The press likes to report on new scientific results, without the benefit of confirmatory studies. So when a conflicting study comes along, which is perfectly normal an natural on the frontier, the public is left thinking that scientists don't know what they're taking about.
More broadly, science on the frontier will be wrong most of the time. That's the whole point of repeated observations and experiments. Only when there's scientific agreement from multiple research paths can we declare that science has established an objective truth. And when that happens, it's not later shown to be false.
In Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization, there's a whole chapter that explores the meaning of scientific truths.
FYI: The press likes to report on new scientific results, without the benefit of confirmatory studies. So when a conflicting study comes along, which is perfectly normal an natural on the frontier, the public is left thinking that scientists don't know what they're taking about.
More Answered Questions
Andrew Peacock
asked
Neil deGrasse Tyson:
Hey NDT! From the desk of a budding science communicator focused on astronomy, which three academic journals would you recommend following to stay on top of scientific discoveries? To add to this question, which three books have been instrumental for you as you’ve grown into a science communicator?
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more