McNutt 2023 Issues Sci Technol
| McNutt Marcia, Crow Michael M (2023) Enhancing trust in science and democracy in an age of misinformation. Issues Sci Technol 39:18–20. https://doi.org/10.58875/FABL6884 |
McNutt Marcia, Crow Michael M (2023) Issues Sci Technol
Abstract: Thomas Jefferson once observed, “I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society, but the people themselves.” He cautioned that correcting “abuses of constitutional power” may not be possible if the people are “not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion.” However, he concluded, “the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.”
During the roughly 200 years since Jefferson made those pragmatic observations, science has provided incalculable knowledge and innovative tools that have improved people’s lives, permitted the pursuit of the general welfare as articulated in the Constitution, and allowed many citizens to enjoy a bountiful existence. Now the world negotiates the intersection of unprecedented opportunities made possible by technological advances while also confronting the interconnected crises of pandemic, war, and climate change. Meanwhile, the volume, velocity, and reach of unintentional misinformation and deliberate disinformation, enabled by advanced information technologies, are distorting public deliberation and undermining trust in science as well as democracy itself.
• Bioblast editor: Gnaiger E
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Selected quotes
- When misinformation or disinformation undermine the credibility of scientists and political leaders, public trust is weakened, the progress of science is inhibited, and democracy itself is destabilized.
- Today, science has neglected to help the public understand what motivates researchers. This has led to the myth that scientists succeed by agreeing with the consensus—a false narrative that erodes public trust in science. To the contrary, scientists honor those who overturn reigning paradigms and advance understanding by producing knowledge that extends beyond the consensus.
- The problems associated with producing effective communication are complex and will require innovative research, tools, and techniques.
- In an age of continuously morphing social media, the ways society produces and acquires information are rapidly changing, and the scientific community needs to advance its outdated modes of informing and engaging the public in order to keep up.
