Helping Scientists Talk with Everyday People
July 24, 2019
When scientists engage the public on contentious issues, “bombarding people with more information” isn’t useful, a professor of pediatrics says, adding that “it seems important to engage the public more, and earn their trust through continued, more personal interaction.” Issues has examined just this challenge, with a scholar of science communication writing that scientists should act not as authoritative persuaders but as partners in dialogue, and a philosopher of science noting that scientific controversies are often public proxies for larger social concerns.