Stand Up For Science

Science is a method of exploring the physical world. It’s a roadmap that helps us understand how our bodies, our planet, and the cosmos work. Science is based on experimentation and evidence, and it evolves with our tools and access to information. Good scientists are humble enough to integrate new evidence and information, even when it contradicts their previous conclusions. They’re careful and intentional with their words, always leaving space for uncertainty and the limitations of methodology. Folks without scientific training or education often interpret this as a weakness, like scientists don’t even trust their own work, when it’s really a demonstration of their humility and open minds.

We often see mainstream media distort careful conjectures and hypotheses, presenting them as undisputed facts, only to contradict those conclusions when newer, better studies are published. This is very confusing for the general public, and gives the impression that science is always wrong and can’t be trusted. Nuance and complexity are baked into the process, making science communication extremely challenging. Especially when we have leaders who seem incapable of the humility necessary to admit when they don’t understand something.

Scientists are human. They are corruptible, fraught with biases, fears, attachments, and fragile egos, but the method itself is neutral and designed to help us see beyond the superficial and subjective. Everyone loves science that supports their goals or reinforces their beliefs, and we all feel resistant and skeptical when it doesn’t.

Scientific discovery is the engine of technological innovation, medical advancement, and food production in this country. Science is the foundation of our work in Climate Justice. Let’s engage in healthy, good faith debate, founded in the scientific method, and be humble enough to integrate new evidence and information. Let’s be scientists together. Science is for everyone!