3. Science AMA Series: We're a social scientist & physical scientist who just l...

Science AMA Series: We're a social scientist & physical scientist who just launched Evidence Squared, a podcast on the science of why science fails to persuade. Ask Us Anything!

Hi, I have three questions marked in bold below with some context. Personally it seems that pressing science as a justification for policy is always going to backfire because it is so easy to hijack so why do you work towards pressing it towards the debate. Recent research seems to suggest that simplified explanations and soundbites reduce trust in experts because they assert too much, which is a natural thing to distrust. It is because it is difficult for everyday people to weigh in on the details and most media is geared towards short soundbites which results in complexity being lost and each side having to aggressively assert an opinion for fear of having admitted they were wrong. This attitude polarizes those in the middle but also moves the public dialogue away from the aspects that the public actually can weigh in on. These are values like – adopt energy policy that reduces reliance on foreign nations etc etc etc. There is then a lot more room for an engaged democracy. Heres a broad question to start off. What role do you think the means by which we consume information ie fast and short media plays in determining the effectiveness of science in policy debate? Was science a more robust influence on policy and policy makers decades or hundreds of years ago or is this a common theme that has just been recognized more broadly in the digital age?

On the subject of partisanship, there is (seemingly) little to no attempt at education by the side that professes a monopoly on knowledge. By this I mean resources that are purely science based, that separate the certain bits from the uncertain bits so we can get to focusing on what is important. Not just blogs/news etc, but even textbooks have a spin to them which is unnecessary when the aim is to learn science and assess evidence. How are we supposed to find common ground without resources to educate on science without bringing policy or advocacy into it? Take Skeptical Science for example, it is essentially a site aimed at people that already 'believe' in climate change so that they can shit on anyone who disagrees with them on the internet. Compare that with say Science of Doom which acts to educate from the basics up and acts as a non-controversial resource I can recommend to anyone with any uncertainties. If you were to restart Skeptical Science, do you think that you would change your approach now that you are familiar with a lot more research on science communication? A quantification of scientific consensus does nothing to increase certainty but merely tells people scientists are certain - the problem then lies in the definition of what they are certain about which is often that there is a certainty of catastrophic climate change that demands extreme policy changes. This consensus has been a strongly worked over talking point. Are you sure it (the consensus project) has done more good than bad in the public sphere?

/r/science Thread
Previous
Next

Recently removed from /r/science

As a four-day work week is trialed in countries across the globe, health researchers say they’re ‘all in’ when it comes to a long weekend, research shows that the extra time off is good for our health. Findings from a study of more than 46,000 people from 68 different countries reveal those who share more left-wing political views are more generous and altruistic than those who follow right-wing ideologies. Obesity might adversely affect social and emotional development of children, study finds Decline in daily step count persists after pandemic for U.S. adults. Based on new findings, people had not yet bounced back as of December 2021: U.S. adults were still taking around 700 fewer steps per day, compared to their pre-pandemic norm. Review of 1,039 studies indicates exercise can be more effective than counselling or medication for depression Researchers are calling for exercise to be a mainstay approach for managing depression as a new study shows that physical activity is 1.5 times more effective than counselling or the leading medications One theory of attractiveness suggests beautiful people are seen positively and these views become internalized, motivating altruistic behavior. New research, however, finds support for the view that beautiful people behave selfishly and feel entitled due to their bargaining power in relationships. Extremely rich people are not extremely smart. Study in Sweden finds income is related to intelligence up to about the 90th percentile in income. Above that level, differences in income are not related to cognitive ability. ACPeds Calls on Organizations to Scrap Current Transgender Protocols Based on Newly Published Critique Most Americans aren’t getting enough exercise. People living in rural areas were even less likely to get enough exercise: Only 16% of people outside cities met benchmarks for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities, compared with 28% in large metropolitan cities areas. Magnetic solution removes toxic "forever chemicals" from water in seconds Neighborhoods with predominantly White residents have more greenery, fewer dilapidated buildings and fewer multi-family homes — compared to neighborhoods with residents of multiple races and ethnicities, predominantly Black residents Routine vaccinations drop among U.S. kindergartners for the third year in a row according to the CDC. While vaccinations remain high, coverage has dropped from 95% in the 2019-2020 school year to 94% in 2020-2021 to 93% in 2021-2022, leaving at least 250,000 potentially unprotected against measles. Clitoral knowledge and gendered sexual scripts appear to play a key role in women's orgasm experience Clitoral knowledge and gendered sexual scripts appear to play a key role in women's orgasm experience

More Random Comments

Proposal: Dual Account Prevention Solution BTS can surely headline the Super Bowl halftime show but it's still risky Americans Coming To Bogotá For The First Time Every Wattpad romance book starterpacks ‘Tricked’: Big claim on new Premier’s win y'all wanted more writing. here you go. the best I can do. My partner (26m) decided to change after I (23f) started to fall out of love with him. Can I fix it? What do I do next? Making sense of things… Is there something other than Constructionism and Essentialism? “I’m the only woman on this podium … the only physician on this podium … THIS BILL IS A SHAM … YOU ARE KILLING WOMEN.” Kentucky State Senator spells out her NO vote on abortion ban. [rant] Group projects are the worst How tf is everyone on r/collegeresults in the 700k+ income bracket Are you single because of CFS? If not, how did you find your partner? When was the last time you cried, and why? Aleks on why he feels strange playing cop these days.