Criticising Science

Martin Kusch and Alexander Reutlinger discuss the ways science is criticised.

- Martin Kusch and Alexander Reutlinger

Martin Kusch: In many political debates today, one can observe a curious phenomenon: while scientific knowledge seems crucially relevant for dealing with a large-scale problem, important political players go out their way to downplay and attack that very knowledge, and the science behind it. Debates regarding the climate crisis and the Covid-19 crisis are obvious cases in point, but there are many other examples as well.

Alexander Reutlinger: Yes. This raises important questions for citizens and politicians who aren’t scientific experts. When and to what degree can one trust science? And, how should one adjust one’s level of trust in a scientific claim when that claim is attacked or criticized?

MK: There are of course many different kinds of ‘science criticism’ in the media as well as in science itself. Which kinds should we distinguish, do you think?

AR: The concept of ‘science criticism’ covers too many different phenomena. Let me try to replace it with some more nuanced concepts and categories. First, some critics oppose science across the board: all of science, science in every form. Let’s call these critics the ‘anti-science brigade’. It seems to be a relatively small group of people in today’s world. After all, most people rely on some aspects of science and technology. Even fierce science critics use cell phones and social media to do their critiquing.