A scientist examines the folly of 'I am not a scientist.'
A few weeks back, I wrote a piece about the political, social and journalistic implications of a phrase that has been bothering me like a burr under a saddle. “I’m not a scientist” has become a go-to cop out for politicians, big corporate press reps, and activists who want to evade deliberate scientific questions about things like climate change, GMOs, vaccines, stem cells and all the other hot button scientific issues that expose raw political leanings or moral ideologies.
Judging by the magnitude of the response, I’m not the only one who feels this is a problem.
My call to action is to rally journalists (and you at home) to demand better, more complete answers and explanations from both scientists and the politicians and leaders who are using “I’m not a scientist” as an excuse to avoid engaging with the science. When it comes to explaining the myriad roles science plays in our everyday lives and our policy choices we need to elevate the dialogue.
If that is going to happen, the scientific community and the press will have to do a better job of communicating. But this new foundation can’t be built on 30 second sound bites.
http://mashable.com/2015/11/29/folly-of-i-am-not-a-scientist/#v2M08JJNbGq3
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