Scientists Should Speak Up
It is time the scientific community became proactive in challenging misuse of scientific evidence. We must make evidence accessible and explicable, says the U.K.'s chief science advisor.
Science is progress, but not progress unchallenged. In our era of “instant solutions” and immediate response, it is easy, and perhaps tempting, to forget that true advancement is attained through criticism, scepticism and debate. Great scientists have often challenged the status quo, but armed with the facts and evidence required to justify their view. Those who challenge the collective view should be scrutinised, and if this scrutiny results in truth, should be rightly celebrated. Yet if we become fixated on divergence, we lose sight of the importance of consensus; significantly a consensus built upon rigorous inquiry.
