{"id":80387,"date":"2022-01-04T16:00:26","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T21:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&#038;p=80387"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:37:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:37:11","slug":"reasons-science-skepticism","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/reasons-science-skepticism\/","title":{"rendered":"The reasons for science skepticism can be complex and founded on real concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-max  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n        \n                    \n                    \n            \n    <div class=\"cu-wideimage relative flex items-center justify-center mx-auto px-8 overflow-hidden md:px-16 rounded-xl not-prose  my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 bg-opacity-50 bg-cover bg-cu-black-50 pt-24 pb-32 md:pt-28 md:pb-44 lg:pt-36 lg:pb-60 xl:pt-48 xl:pb-72\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/people-wearing-masks-no-mask-1200w-1.jpg); background-position: 50% 50%;\">\n\n                    <div class=\"absolute top-0 w-full h-screen\" style=\"background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.600);\"><\/div>\n        \n        <div class=\"relative z-[2] max-w-4xl w-full flex flex-col items-center gap-2 cu-wideimage-image cu-zero-first-last\">\n            <header class=\"mx-auto mb-6 text-center text-white cu-pageheader cu-component-updated cu-pageheader--center md:mb-12\">\n\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold mb-2 text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] cu-pageheader--center text-center mx-auto after:left-px\">\n                        The reasons for science skepticism can be complex and founded on real concerns\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                            <\/header>\n        <\/div>\n\n                    <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"absolute bottom-0 w-full z-[1]\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 1280 312\">\n                <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M26.412 315.608c-.602-.268-6.655-2.412-13.524-4.769a1943.84 1943.84 0 0 1-14.682-5.144l-2.276-.858v-5.358c0-4.876.086-5.358.773-5.09 1.674.643 21.38 5.84 34.646 9.109 14.682 3.59 28.935 6.858 45.936 10.449l9.874 2.089H57.322c-16.4 0-30.31-.16-30.91-.428ZM460.019 315.233c42.974-10.074 75.602-19.88 132.443-39.867 76.16-26.791 152.063-57.709 222.385-90.663 16.7-7.823 21.336-10.074 44.262-21.273 85.004-41.688 134.719-64.193 195.291-88.413 66.55-26.577 145.2-53.584 194.27-66.765C1258.5 5.626 1281.34 0 1282.24 0c.17 0 .34 27.596.34 61.3v61.299l-2.23.375c-84.7 13.718-165.93 35.955-310.736 84.931-46.494 15.753-65.427 22.076-96.166 32.15-9.102 3-24.814 8.198-34.989 11.574-107.543 35.954-153.008 50.422-196.626 62.639l-6.74 1.876-89.126-.054c-78.135-.054-88.782-.161-85.948-.857ZM729.628 312.875c33.229-10.985 69.248-23.523 127.506-44.207 118.705-42.223 164.596-57.709 217.446-73.302 2.62-.75 8.29-2.465 12.67-3.751 56.19-16.772 126.94-33.597 184.17-43.671 5.07-.91 9.66-1.768 10.22-1.875l.94-.161v170.236l-281.28-.054H719.968l9.66-3.215ZM246.864 313.411c-65.041-2.251-143.047-12.11-208.432-26.256-18.375-3.965-41.73-9.538-42.202-10.074-.171-.214-.257-21.38-.214-47.046l.129-46.618 6.654 3.697c57.313 32.043 118.491 56.531 197.699 79.143 40.313 11.521 83.459 18.058 138.669 21.059 15.584.857 65.685.857 81.14 0 33.744-1.876 61.306-4.93 88.396-9.806 6.396-1.126 11.634-1.983 11.722-1.929.255.375-20.48 7.769-30.999 11.038-28.592 8.948-59.288 15.646-91.873 20.147-26.36 3.59-50.015 5.627-78.35 6.698-15.584.59-55.209.59-72.339-.053Z\"><\/path>\n                <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M-3.066 295.067 32.06 304.1v9.033H-3.066v-18.066Z\"><\/path>\n            <\/svg>\n            <\/div>\n\n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<p>This article is <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/the-reasons-for-science-skepticism-can-be-complex-and-founded-on-real-concerns-171000\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">republished<\/a> from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. All photos provided by <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Conversation<\/a> from various sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;\" allowtransparency=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/narrations.ad-auris.com\/widget\/the-conversation-canada\/the-reasons-for-science-skepticism-can-be-complex-and-founded-on-real-concerns\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A popular internet meme juxtaposes a picture of a female scientist working in a lab captioned \u201cVaccine Research\u201d with that of a woman looking at her smart phone while sitting on the toilet captioned \u201cAnti-Vax Research.\u201d The meme reflects an attitude towards science skepticism in general and vaccine hesitancy in particular. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This attitude automatically brands all those who harbour doubts about the scientific consensus on a certain topic as \u201canti-vaxxers,\u201d \u201cclimate skeptics\u201d or \u201cscience deniers,\u201d and chalks up their unwillingness to accept the scientific consensus to some combination of ignorance, stupidity, recklessness and selfishness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I have argued in <a href=\"https:\/\/philpapers.org\/rec\/CONITA-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">my academic work in philosophy<\/a>, some of these genuine concerns can only be addressed by profound and extensive social and political reforms. Addressing the concerns of the science skeptics requires more than attempting to persuade them to trust science \u2014 it also requires us as a society to take the social and political steps required to increase the trustworthiness of science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"dismissal-and-disrespect\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dismissal and disrespect<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While it might be often tempting to attribute moral or cognitive flaws to those we disagree with, we have at least three very good reasons to resist that temptation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first is that these dismissive attitudes towards science skeptics are condescending and disrespectful to our fellow citizens, and they are likely to contribute further to the polarization of our society and to the wear and tear of its social fabric. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second reason is that the assumption that science skeptics are ignorant or stupid is not supported by the evidence which seems to indicate, for example, that highly educated people are <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/nclimate1547\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">no less likely to doubt science<\/a> than people with <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.pmedr.2021.101569\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">lower levels of education<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The last (but not the least) reason is that these attitudes are likely to be ineffective if not counterproductive. Instead of looking down on the science skeptics, we should listen to them and try to understand their actual concerns, so that we can take appropriate and effective steps to address them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image align-center zoomable\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/439194\/original\/file-20220103-19-1nhva4z.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/439194\/original\/file-20220103-19-1nhva4z.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"a group of anti-vaccine mandate protestors holding signs that read UNITY FREEDOM and FREEDOM OF CHOICE FOR ALL\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\n              <span class=\"caption\">People gather to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and masking measures during a rally in Kingston, Ont.<\/span><br>\n              <span class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"source\">THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Lars Hagberg<\/span><\/span><br>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"reasons-for-hesitancy\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reasons for hesitancy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Russian author Leo Tolstoy wrote, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/templates\/story\/story.php?storyId=15244466\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way<\/a>.\u201d Something similar could be said about trust in science. As a thought exercise, consider the examples of Savita, Maya and Lara, three highly educated middle-aged women. While each of them is somewhat hesitant about vaccines, their hesitancy has different roots and takes different shapes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Savita, who is of South Asian descent and is in a heterosexual marriage, believes that her son\u2019s severe allergies were triggered by a shot he was given a couple of days before his first allergic reaction and, while her doctor has tried to reassure her that it was just a coincidence, she is not convinced and is not willing to take any more risks with her children\u2019s health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maya, who is Black and in a same-sex relationship, distrusts a medical system that has a record of <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.1516047113\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">discrimination against both Black people<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.2105\/AJPH.2015.302631\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">members of the LGBTQ+ community<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lara, who is white and single, does not believe that the vaccines against COVID-19 have been properly tested, and feels that they have only been granted emergency approval due to the clout that the pharmaceutical industry has with politicians and regulators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While these may be common fears about the COVID-19 vaccines, they were properly tested and evaluated, and adverse events, including allergy and anaphylaxis, remain low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The dominant approach to addressing science skepticism assumes that <a href=\"https:\/\/press.princeton.edu\/books\/hardcover\/9780691179001\/why-trust-science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">science skeptics either do not understand how science works or are ignorant of the existence of a scientific consensus on the relevant issues<\/a>. According to this view, vaccine hesitancy can be addressed by doctors reassuring patients on the medical consensus that vaccines are safe and effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, to patients like Savita, Maya and Lara, these wholesale reassurances are likely to ring hollow, as <a href=\"https:\/\/upittpress.org\/books\/9780822946557\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">they fail to address their own personal concerns<\/a>. Attempts to address hesitancy are also likely to come across as patronizing, as they suggest that their recipients are ignorant or reckless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"complex-phenomenon\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Complex phenomenon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking down on the science skeptics and talking down to them is much easier than trying to understand and address their concerns, even when some of those concerns are legitimate. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.1516047113\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The medical system does display a bias<\/a> against <a href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.2105%2FAJPH.2015.302631\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">marginalized social groups<\/a>. The relationship between the pharmaceutical industry with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2017\/10\/30\/the-family-that-built-an-empire-of-pain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">medical doctors<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/hidden-side-effects-medical-studies-often-leave-out-adverse-outcomes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">biomedical researchers<\/a> does raise serious concerns about conflicts of interest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even focusing only on vaccine hesitancy, <a href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.5863\/1551-6776-21.2.104\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">science skepticism is a complex and varied phenomenon<\/a>. Tarring all science skeptics with the same brush makes us lose sight of the differences between them, leaves us unable to understand the many different roots of their distrust, and leads us to adopt a wrongheaded one-size-fit all approach to addressing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8212;<br>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carleton Newsroom<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/171000\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. All photos provided by The Conversation from various sources. A popular internet meme juxtaposes a picture of a female scientist working in a lab captioned \u201cVaccine Research\u201d with that of a woman looking at her smart phone while sitting on the toilet captioned [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":80388,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[1623],"cu_story_tag":[],"class_list":["post-80387","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-expert-perspectives"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/80387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/80387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80389,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/80387\/revisions\/80389"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=80387"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=80387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}