A Bournemouth scientist has blamed a rise in the distrust of science and experts on celebrity culture.
Dr. Sharon Docherty is the organiser behind Cafe Scientifque, a meeting opportunity for scientist, journalist and the general public alike.
She strongly feels that hard evidence is the only way to combat misinformation and science scepticism:
Dr. Dochery also believes it is vitally important that places like Cafe Scientifique exist:
“It’s so important to get people involved in conversations about science, and getting them thinking about the world around them in different ways.”
“Science is all around us and the more we interact, the better we are prepared to deal with this ever changing society. ”
Each Cafe Scientifique meet up features a different guest speaker, who is involved in either academia or journalism.
Bournemouth University lecturer, An Nguyen, who spoke at the event, recently expressed his concerns over the threat populist leaders like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro pose to science.
Mr Nguyen also believes that scientists need to do more to engage and regain the trust of the public:
“Facts alone are not enough to engage people, so scientists and journalists need to change their methods and do more to earn back that trust.”
“They also need to know one thing: people interpret facts on the bases of their personal beliefs and how they feel, which is a huge challenge for us to tackle.”
Cafe Scientifque runs on the first Tuesday of every month.
It’s hosted by Cafe Bosconova.
