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Should people who aren't scientists have a say in what science gets done and how
it is used?
There are plenty of scientists who would blanch at the idea. After all, if you've stretched yourself to
the limit - probably sacrificing friends, family, and any semblance of a social
life on the way to become the world's foremost authority on your particular
corner of reality, why the heck
would you listen to someone who doesn't know their biology from their backside,
so to speak?
To make matters worse, people who aren't scientists just get it.
They don't see the world the way it really is. They're full of misconceptions and
wrong thinking. They jump to unfounded conclusions, and allow their ignorance
to dominate their decisions.
They couldn't possibly understand the profound intricacies and interactions of the
world
in a way that allows them to make smart decisions.
Surely these people -
uninitiated in the great mysteries of life - need our help,
not our ears.
Apart from one small problem:
if we don't listen to people,
we will never know what is important to them.
And if we don't know what is important, we will never be able to transform the
science we do from a self-indulgent hobby into something that is of value to
society.
Of course, engaging with non- scientists on science is not easy.
It means having to explain what we do and why to people who aren't experts
in our field. It means learning how to listen and how to collaborate with
people who see the world differently to us.
And it means developing a modicum of awareness on how society works.
But without such partnerships, it's hard to see how the increasingly complex
products of science will lead to the creation of mutual worth within society.
Instead, we run the risk of
harming people and the environment through lost opportunities and
irresponsible development -
not because people didn't understand the science, but because the scientists didn't
understand people.
Allowing people who were aren't experts to act as if they are, is probably not a
good idea.
But understanding that using the diverse expertise that different people bring to
the table - whether it's insight into what's important, or
who will most likely suffer or benefit from a decision, or how to solve a
particularly knotty problem - seems pretty smart.
Which is why people who aren't scientists probably should have at least
some say in what science gets done and how it is used.