August Post: Misunderstanding Science

On the precarious dynamics between scientists, the public, and the ability to disseminate scientific knowledge.

This post follows along with July’s post and, quite frankly, much of what is going on right now. It encapsulates much of my current thoughts on COVID and the divisiveness, as well as the apparent infighting happening among different groups. More importantly, it outlines my frustrations with how many people are handling science, or really mishandling science I should say. In essence, more and more it feels as if people are extrapolating too much from studies, making bold hyperbolic assumptions where there doesn’t appear to be any evidence of such claims, or even grossly misrepresenting studies to push narratives.

There’s no doubt that the public has been left in the dark when it comes to science, but now it feels as if the domain of science and the concepts of scientific principles are being trampled on. The floodgates have been opened by COVID and many people have frantically ran in, trampling over people and rummaging through all the shelves like a Black Friday sale.

Because of these concerns I wanted to write a post that encapsulates some of these thoughts and does so in a way that explains why, in order to engage with science, one should make an earnest attempt to understand the underlying science.