Why Is Scientific Illiteracy So Acceptable?
Some of the most scientifically illiterate people I&#x27;ve encountered are the people who say things like, &quot;We listen to the science when it comes to COVID-19&quot;. Let us be perfectly real. When it comes to political decisions based on forecasts, you are not &quot;listening to science&quot;.<p>Science can answer many questions. I can ask it, &quot;How long do I need to fire the engines to achieve this particular orbit&quot;, or perhaps &quot;How much material do I need in this region of the bridge to sustain the load of traffic going across it?&quot;<p>But science is not the computer from Star Trek. I can&#x27;t come to science and ask it, &quot;How long should we quarantine to minimize health impact, and maximize economic recovery?&quot; Ultimately, that question does not have a scientific answer. It can be informed by statistics -- to the best that we understand the numbers, and scientists can present models of what they think the future will look like... but results not guaranteed.<p>Some problems have clear cut answers, that science can contribute concrete solutions to. Other problems do not have clear cut answers -- but have a large population of supporters claiming that all &quot;the science&quot; agrees with them, and to disagree with them is to shun reason.<p>This is also scientific illiteracy.