Science, please: ‘Science scepticism’ is estimated to be 32 per cent in 2019, spiking to 35 per cent in 2020

Be it vaccine hesitancy, the nurturing of a decidedly anti-scientific agenda by elected dispensations through the dissemination of information discrediting science — Narendra Modi’s India is an example — or, even more worryingly, the collective indifference to the imminence of climate change, the conflict between scientific ethos and public and political sentiment has had numerous manifestations in recent times.: Shutterstock

The Editorial Board   |  TT  | 13.08.21: The Age of Reason is also, arguably, the Age of Irony. Consider the erosion of public trust in science. This alarming, global phenomenon should have been an anachronism in an epoch synonymous with unprecedented scientific progress. That, evidently, is not the case. The State of Science Index, developed by a corporate scientist on the basis of a global survey, has been indicative of a growing deficit between public trust and science in recent years. ‘Science scepticism’ was estimated to be 32 per cent in 2019, spiking to 35 per cent in 2020. It has taken a pandemic — yet another irony — to restore some of the confidence in science. Science scepticism is, apparently, at an all-time low of 27 per cent, with the majority of respondents saying that the wonders of science are integral to everyday living. The quick development of the vaccines against Covid-19 may have been fundamental to plugging the breach.

Yet, the battle is not won yet. Be it vaccine hesitancy, the nurturing of a decidedly anti-scientific agenda by elected dispensations through the dissemination of information discrediting science — Narendra Modi’s India is an example — or, even more worryingly, the collective indifference to the imminence of climate change, the conflict between scientific ethos and public and political sentiment has had numerous manifestations in recent times. The challenge, therefore, is to rekindle the scientific spirit. One way of achieving this goal would be to turn the scientific enterprise democratic. This would entail liberating science from the proverbial ivory tower and widening public engagement with the daily applications of scientific research and technology. Greater incentives for the pursuit of science education would be one aspect of deepening society’s links with reason. Institutions that shape opinion — the media, for instance — must also play a role in fostering this collaboration. There is also the case for making science more representative: governments should encourage more women and members of socially disadvantaged groups to take up science by expanding scholarship programmes. These affirmative interventions must be accompanied by a determined public campaign that strikes at the roots of the founts — political or otherwise — of irrationality. Humanity’s future is riddled with challenges, some of which are the result of its own follies. Science can yet save the day if it is allowed to transition from being a discipline to a humane survival kit.