Itamar FeldmanThe new ARI Bookshelf podcast series gives you a window into ARI’s educational programs by showcasing faculty discussions of books of recent interest. This episode features Naomi Oreskes’s book Why Trust Science? Panelists included Ben Bayer, Jason Rheins, Mike Mazza, and Daniel Schwartz.
Why Trust Science? asks when and why non-experts can trust science. It argues that it is the social character of science that makes it trustworthy.
Our panelists judge whether the arguments Oreskes gives are convincing and examine her views about the value of consensus and diversity in scientists’ beliefs and values. They also discuss the philosophy of science more generally and consider how laypeople should evaluate climate science and anti-vaccine claims.
The discussion covered:
- A synopsis of the book;
- Why we should question the book’s assumptions in the philosophy of science;
- How laypeople should evaluate scientific claims;
- The role of values in science and policy;
- Oreskes’s claims about the value of diversity in science;
- The importance, in some cases, of interdisciplinary consensus;
- Talking to people who don’t trust science;
- Panelists’ general takes on the book.
The episode was released on October 11, 2024.
Dan Schwartz
