Café Inquiry (ONLINE) – Trust in Science

This event is held online. (Click the button to join the Zoom meeting.)

In the United States there seems to be a decrease in the trust we have for scientists and science.  Is this true? If so, why? And if not, why does it seem that there is? Is the current level of trust appropriate? At the next Cafe Inquiry ONLINE, we will discuss what we know about trust in science in the U.S. and around the world. For background, this article from Nature Human Behavior reports on a survey of people in 68 countries around the world about their trust in scientists. In this article form Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), members of the Strategic Council of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examine “what has happened to public confidence in science, why it has happened, and what can be done to elevate it.” The abstract provides a good overview. If you want to delve deeper, you can read the whole article. Finally, this 20-minute podcast segment from the June 7 episode (# 1039) of The Skeptics Guide to the Universe concerns a new executive order that may affect our willingness to trust scientific publications due to restrictions on where government entities will be allowed to publish their findings. The segment runs from 31:40 – 52.50.

Hope to see you there!

Café Inquiry starts with a short introduction of the day’s topic, followed by casual discussion.

This event is free and open to the public. Donations appreciated, but not expected.

Attendees are able to future propose topics which would align with Michigan Humanist’s purpose: from atheism, agnosticism, humanism, secularism, and freethinking to broader subjects in science and humanities, such as religion, philosophy, social issues, politics, evolution, morality, ethics, and psychology.

Café Inquiry (Grand Rapids) meets each month IN PERSON on the second Sunday and ONLINE on the fourth Sunday.

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Michigan Humanists values the participation of all guests — requests for reasonable accommodation may be made by contacting the event host at least three days prior to the event.

Michigan Humanists expects all guests to engage in respectful discussion. Please visit the Michigan Humanist Culture and Expectations page for more information. Speak to the event host or contact info@michiganhumanists.org if you feel these expectations are being violated.

Events are made possible by your financial support. Michigan Humanists is a 501(c)3 non-profit. All donations are tax-deductible as provided by law. Donations to Michigan Humanists can be made at https://www.michiganhumanists.org/donate/