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1 MAY 2015 • VOL 348 ISSUE 6234 511 SCIENCE sciencemag.org
America’s crisis of
faith in science
FIFTY-THREE PERCENT OF Americans are
not convinced that human activity is causing global warming (1). Why? The issue
is faith, not facts. Shockingly few people
can actually know—in any intelligent,
meaningful way—that global warming is
real. The rest of us do not have access to
the huge quantity of data, and we wouldn’t
understand it if we did. We simply aren’t
competent to judge for ourselves what
scientists are telling us. Often enough,
scientists in one specialty aren’t even
competent to assess data and conclusions
in another specialty. We cannot see climate
change with our own eyes, yet we have
faith in the scientific method. That is what
gives science the right to an authoritative
voice in public policy.
Others do not have this faith. Simply
stating to them that they are ignoring
“facts” is juvenile, naive, and ultimately
ineffective. For those of us who are not
global warming scientists ourselves, it is
also arrogant to insist that others believe
what we only know on faith ourselves. The
real challenge for scientists and those who
speak for them is to inspire the public’s
faith in science.
What does this mean in practice?
(i) Be more open about the data used to
support conclusions. Make more data eas-
ily available for others, such as journalists,
to review.
(ii) Be more open about the methods.
This was a crucial element in the 2009
controversy over hacked e-mails from
a UK climate research institute, which
came to light just before an international
conference on mitigating climate change
(2, 3). Legitimate debate among scientists
was misunderstood by some of the public
as evidence that the whole premise was
unfounded.
(iii) Acknowledge the seriousness of
scientific misconduct and do more to limit
it. Such incidents may be rare, but they
are highly consequential. They not only
convince people that a particular scientific
claim is false; they undermine the public’s
faith that science as an institution can
be trusted to tell us what we can’t see for
ourselves.
(iv) Show more respect and less dis-
dain for those who do not acknowledge
Edited by Jennifer Sills
OUTSIDE THE TOWER
Bringing science inside prison walls
No cell phone, no car keys, nothing in my pockets. I make my way through the metal detector and past the sentry posted in the armored box. I walk into the first of several sealed concrete rooms. Clangs and buzzes signal the closing of one door, the opening of another. I am in prison to talk about science. There is some evidence that embracing the power of nature and learning
about science can facilitate the rehabilitation of inmates, pro-social behavior, and
relief of corrections fatigue in prison staff (1–4). I have always enjoyed translating
science for new audiences, but never for students in prison before.
After traversing the maze of security, I stand before my first class, take a deep
breath, and begin my talk about terrestrial-aquatic interactions. It is immediately
clear that the discussion reaches the women on a personal level. Their eyes brighten
when I ask them about their favorite river. They are engaged, attentive, and curious.
After presenting in-prison science lectures several times, I realized how little I
needed to alter my material for incarcerated students. Their hunger for information
overwhelms their lack of exposure to science education, and their questions are just as
keen as those of my brightest college students. My favorite lecture was one that merged
science and art. We brought paper, pencils, and specimens (plants, shells, insects,
pinned butterflies) into the prison and taught the basics of scientific illustration. We
gave the students time to observe their specimens, to ask questions, and to explore the
morphology of life through multiple senses. In a gray world of sensory deprivation, we
gave them moments with nature and a chance to observe the world like scientists.
Enhancing scientific literacy in society requires us to cross boundaries and serve
new audiences. In my case, that meant literally crossing the most impermeable
boundary in U.S. society. My biggest surprise was that physical boundaries are just
those—talking about science transforms us from people on the inside versus the
outside to just people talking about ideas.
Carri J. LeRoy
Sustainability in Prisons Project, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA 98505, USA.
E-mail: LeRoyC@evergreen.edu
REFERENCES
1. C.J.LeRoy,K.Bush,J. Trivett, B.Gallagher, The Sustainability in Prisons Project: An Overvie w 2004–2012 (Gorham
Publishing, Olympia, WA, 2012).
2. P. C. Little, Environ. Educ. Res. 21, 365 (2015).
3. T. N. Kaye, K. B. Bush, C. Naugle, C. J. LeRoy, Nat. Areas J. 35, 90 (2015).
4. Sustainability in Prisons Project ( http://sustainabilityinprisons.org/)
Outside the Tower is an occasional feature highlighting science advocacy projects
led by scientists and citizen scientists. How do you advocate for science? Tell us at
submit2science.org.
