Why should we trust science? Historian of science Naomi Oreskes has pondered this question for years, and here she talks about the surprising answer she has come up with (hint: it’s not because of the scientific method). Naomi, a geologist by training, also talks about her time working for a mining company in Australia, the skepticism she faced as a woman, and how she later fell in love with the history of science.

Naomi Oreskes is a professor of the history of science at Harvard University and one of the world’s leading voices on the role of science in society and the reality of anthropogenic climate change. She has thought and written extensively about climate denial and disinformation, most famously in 2010’s Merchants of Doubt, which she co-wrote with Erik Conway.

Her latest book “Why Trust Science?” was published in October 2019. In it, Naomi argues that it is the social character of science – the various ways in which scientists discuss, scrutinize and test each other’s findings – that makes scientific knowledge trustworthy. If that process operates without conflicts of interest, and if it includes a diversity of methods and voices, it will result in an evidence-based consensus that people have good reasons to trust.

“Most people think that if we should trust science it’s either because scientists are brilliant and geniuses, or because scientists use the scientific method, and the scientific method produces reliable results. I argue that neither of those is correct.
What really is crucial in science is the social process of vetting claims. […] My argument is that that’s actually the basis for the reliability of scientific claims.”

You can find more information about Naomi Oreskes and her work on her website.

The interview with Naomi Oreskes was recorded in July 2019. Photo credit: Kayana Szymczak, ©Princeton University Press

Michela Biasutti studies rainfall in the tropics – when and where it rains, and why. She does this at Columbia University in New York, where she settled down after her scientific curiosity had first led her to move from her native Italy to Seattle.

Michela is one of many foreign-born scientists who have managed to build successful careers in the United States and have made the country their home. Adjusting to all the practical aspects of daily life in the United States can be challenging, and with family and loved ones far away, finding and building a new community becomes especially important. Michela has succeeded in that as well, and she talks here about what community means to her and how she tries to make her community better.

Another topic that comes up is the prevalence of soft money jobs in academia and the pressure and financial insecurity that living from grant to grant brings about. This is a systemic problem, but one that disproportionately affects women, and you’ll hear Michela’s views about that and other gender-related issues in science (below are two links to more information).

And of course, the discussion eventually also leads to Trump.

“I only have gratitude for [the individual relationships I’ve had]. The system is a different story. […] I don’t want to have to do it the way the mighty white male wants me to do it.“

You can find more information about Michela Biasutti and her research on her website.

The interview with Michela Biasutti was recorded in September 2019. Image credit: Suzana Camargo