Berta is a professor emerita from the Department of Biology at San Diego State University. She lives in Talmadge.
We no longer trust science. Leading conservatives work hard to portray scientists as liberal conspiracy theorists who threaten American values and our democracy. This has led many people to a belief that the world is confusing and dangerous. Facts are challenged by alternative facts. Fake news stories are presented that are verifiably false. Lies, misstatements and disinformation are common, thanks to the incredible reach of social media, where many people turn for reputable, trusted and valid news — and where that isn’t always the case.
Having spent my life as a scientist, I find this quite alarming. The problem is that we are bombarded daily with ideas contributed and shared by various sources, some of them unreliable, with dangerous misstatements. It is then up to each of us to distinguish which statements are verifiable and which are not. As it turns out, this is not a simple task. Fear breeds mistrust and confusion.
One of the best examples of public distrust of science is vaccine fear and resistance. Not helping the situation are celebrities — including actors and professional athletes who use their prominent public platforms to make misstatements about the efficacy of vaccines. The vociferous anti-vaxxers and the related opposition to wearing masks is pushed onto a wary, frustrated public under the guise of personal freedom of choice. But whose freedom? Certainly, this is not for the good of the public.
This is not a matter of personal choice. By refusing to take the vaccine and opposing mask wearing, you put the people around you, including those who have specific allergies and can’t take the vaccine, in jeopardy of acquiring the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. In addition, the more unvaccinated people permit the virus to spread, the greater the chance of a new, potentially more dangerous variant emerging (e.g. the newly discovered Omicron variant). There is overwhelming evidence that the unvaccinated are far more likely to require hospitalization from COVID-19 as well as have a much higher rate of dying from the virus. Nearly 200 million people have received COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S., and studies show these vaccines are safe and effective for adults as well as children 5 years old and up.
We provide this platform for community commentary free of charge. Thank you to all the Union-Tribune subscribers whose support makes our journalism possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider becoming one today.
As a scientist, I acknowledge that some of the blame is on us. The messaging at times has been confusing. Clearly, we need to do a better job of communicating what science is and what it isn’t. Science is a process, a way of knowing, building knowledge based on observing facts, and testing them.
Science is not a static body of facts. Scientific thinking evolves. As a result, medical recommendations around COVID-19 have changed. Early on before medical experts knew how COVID-19 spread, there was no mask recommendation. As more information emerged, it became clear that it was an airborne virus and masks were recommended to slow spread of the disease, especially the Delta variant. Because of the highly infectious nature of the virus and its Delta variant and lack of compliance in certain situations where people are in close contact (e.g. airplanes and schools), it was necessary to enact mask mandates. Mandates triggered an immediate negative response by many individuals. Again, opponents pointed out the lack of personal choice. Surprisingly, among those opposed to mask mandates were some public safety officers — firefighters and police officers whose very job it is to ensure the safety of the public as well as some health care professionals who treat those sick with COVID-19. But the science exists. There is abundant scientific evidence from multiple studies that mask wearing, social distancing and getting COVID-19 vaccinations slows/stops the spread of the virus. The problem is that misunderstandings about the science are common.
Science is collaborative. We should rely on trusted information from the scientific community instead of proclamations by random individuals. Those who dismiss new evidence or are overly committed to a pet idea or theory should be avoided. Scientific knowledge is a community endeavor and one that is self-correcting. Scientists make mistakes. Those ideas that are refuted are replaced with new ideas that are better supported by the facts. If you read or hear something you’re not sure is a factual claim, use one of several fact-checking websites responsible for reliable, accurate information.
The bottom line is we need science in our lives. We should all be advocating for clear, responsible science that is as transparent as possible. A scientific claim is only as good as its established validity, and its validity can only be corroborated through experiment, observation and testing.
"Opinion" - Google News
December 02, 2021 at 05:31AM
https://ift.tt/3pjrwtZ
Opinion: We no longer trust science. Here's how we can change that. - The San Diego Union-Tribune
"Opinion" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2FkSo6m
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
No comments:
Post a Comment