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"Resetting the public’s understanding of how science works will be a big job...Unfortunately, most programs...[have] few if any requirements on the history & philosophy of science...[A] shift in curricula would ultimately produce a public that is more literate in the way that science works" #philsci
The scientific enterprise continues to be questioned when ideas are revised in light of new data. To most scientists, this is such a natural part of science that we take it for granted. We (includes me) need to do a better job of saying "this is what we know now." www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Teach philosophy of sciencewww.science.org Much is being made about the erosion of public trust in science. Surveys show a modest decline in the United States from a very high level of trust, but that is seen for other institutions as well. Wh...
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"What is apparent from the surveys is that a better explanation of the nature of science—that it is revised as new data surface—would have a strong positive effect on public trust." Equally true for public understanding of historical knowledge and Wissenschaft more broadly.
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It seems that if the misunderstanding stems from the person not taking the time to understand, then trying to teach them the philosophy of science is unlikely to help.