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The Problem With Trusting Science
How years working in lab research and data science left me skeptical of scientific findings
Living in San Francisco during the pandemic, it’s almost impossible to escape the topic of Covid when meeting new people. When the discussion turns to public health or politics, people seem to relish sharing their disdain for those who “don’t trust science” or “don’t accept facts.” It’s how you show you’re part of the tribe.
And people always treat me as a member of the tribe- after all, I studied neuroscience, spent four years conducting lab research, and worked as a data scientist. Everything about me suggests I’m someone who should “trust science.”
But ironically, my career experience is exactly what has eroded my trust in science.
To be clear, I’m not referring to the scientific method- a framework that has led to advancements in knowledge for centuries- but to scientific institutions. These include academic, government, and independent institutions that publish the research most people call science. When the research is peer-reviewed and published in a credible source, most people assume it to be true.
Here are the reasons I don’t, and why I caution anyone to be extremely critical of the published information they find:
