>This turns scientists into a priesthood of experts >We should not "trust the science" Unfortunately, those are accurate descriptions of many people's relatio

>This turns scientists into a priesthood of experts >We should not "trust the science" Unfortunately, those are accurate descriptions of many people's relationship with science, including many academics and scientists themselves. Whether by malice or subconscious self-deception, the most used and useful part of scientific studies is the conclusion, without regard for the reproducibility and efficacy of the experiments or observations. The veracity of these conclusions is weighted by two things: 1. The existence of data-gathering and experimenting rituals, but not necessarily the soundness of the data or experiments 2. How aligned the conclusion is with the expectations and beliefs of the scientists, their funders, and their target prospects