AllanfromWales1 t1_iso02v9 wrote on October 17, 2022 at 12:30 PM

Reply to comment by intengineering in AskScience AMA Series: I'm Hashem Al-Ghaili, a science communicator with around 20 billion video views. AMA about bringing complex ideas to a wide audience! by AskScienceModerator

While I absolutely applaud your effiorts to make sure the science you report is of good quality, I wonder if there is a need to educate the public about the darker side of science, that these sorts of things do go on and not everything can be taken at face value. My impression is that there is a significant cohort out there who think that if a scientist says something that makes it true. I suspecct inculcating a more critical approach in the general public would be beneficial in the long term.

intengineering t1_isougsn wrote on October 17, 2022 at 4:23 PM

Thank you! Occasionally, I cover the darker side of science, like the impact of the atomic bombs, the invention of materials that end up being polluting the environment, the medical experiments that backfire, etc. But I think it's important to discuss these with caution because some people might take them out of context, and they may blame every mistake on science itself rather than the way some people use it. The core of science communication is not to teach people facts, but rather to help them understand and use the process itself. By process, I mean formulating questions and seeking answers to said questions while maintaining a critical mind.