Science is a learning process, and we have to be open to the possibility of what we think to day might turn out to morrow not to be correct. We don't know what they're doing, but we trust that there's some system in place. But it is possible for people to go off the rails collectively. And i don't think we should ever think that the scientific community is immune from the possibility of being in wrong as a group.
In this interview, based on her landmark book, Why Trust Science?, historian of science Naomi Oreskes offers a bold and compelling defense of science, revealing why the social character of scientific knowledge is its greatest strength — and the greatest reason we can trust it. Drawing vital lessons from cases where scientists got it wrong, Oreskes shows how consensus is a crucial indicator of when a scientific matter has been settled, and when the knowledge produced is likely to be trustworthy.