Hastings Cent Rep. 2021 Jan;51:S36-S39. doi: 10.1002/hast.1227.
The Hastings Center report
Miriam Solomon
PMID: 33630343 DOI: 10.1002/hast.1227
General science literacy contributes to good public decision-making about technology and medicine. This essay explores the kinds of science literacy currently developed by public education in the United States of America. It argues that current curricula on "science as inquiry" (formerly the "nature of science") need to be brought up to date with the inclusion of discussion of social epistemological concepts such as trust and scientific authority, scientific disagreement versus science denialism, the role of ideology and bias in scientific research, and the importance of peer review and responsiveness to criticism.
© 2021 The Hastings Center.
Keywords: Helen Longino; Naomi Oreskes; authority; bias; consensus; disagreement; peer review; science education; trust