Why Science Needs to Work on Public Relations

Science has a PR problem that it cannot ignore anymore. We have all seen how little regard the public has for scientific experts in the United States. People will believe in anything at all except the truth that our scientific experts tell us about Covid-19: it is a hoax; a conspiracy; a means to control the population. Advice from the best experts in the world can be challenged by known hacks and win over significant portions of the public. The same goes for climate change. The arguments of a huge majority of the best experts in the world on climate change fall to the illogical, from-the-hip, snappy comebacks of political hacks with no expertise in the field but plenty of interest from their supporters. So long as it sounds good and does not obviously contradict itself, any argument in support of a preconception can overcome scientific expertise supported by the best of proof.

Why is this? Is the public just louder now but was always just as untrusting of science? Can the public just access more contrary, unproven ideas while filtering out the scientific ideas in small echo chambers? Maybe a little, but this argument only holds up slightly.

Despite the existence of echo chambers, commerce has easily found its way into almost every room. Advertisements reach everywhere all the time. The truth of science does not. Advertisers have something to sell, and the business of pseudo-science places prominently amongst advertisers. The science of pseudo-science reaches everyone. Essential oils, crystals, vaping as a safe alternative to smoking, nutritional powders, all reach their way into every walk of life.

These pseudo-scientists pass themselves off as experts and are not adequately challenged by the scientific community. Unopposed, they appear on talk shows, become household names, and become “experts” by familiarity. They are the experts in the mind of the community. When a true expert comes along, who is he to the public?

Instead the true experts hide behind walls most of their careers. They publish journals aimed at the review of other scientists to develop a reputation amongst their peers as opposed to the public in general. They do not take the time to talk to or sell their advances to the public. They will sell to corporations. They will sell to other scientists. However, in almost every field, the public has no idea even what kind of advances are being made in any significant matter until they are faced with a specific problem and have…

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