From Helena Telkänranta
Your analysis of the hurdles to overcome anti-science was excellent (29 October 2011, p 42). There is one more challenge, though. Most people, including many politicians, do not really know how science works.
When we hear the word “science”, we think about double-blinding, statistical significance and peer review. It is easy to forget that most people have never heard of these. And if you don’t understand how information has been obtained, it is only reasonable that you don’t consider it more reliable than other sources, such as religion or received wisdom.
Science stories in the mass media are usually brief and result-centred, and science journalism with more depth is followed by a small minority. Schools could teach how grown-up science really works, and why it is the most reliable method of acquiring information. Promoting such an addition to curricula would not be politically easy, but it could be an important step towards more science-based decision-making.
Tammela, Finland
