1. Grappling with the Truth

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

In a perfect world, debates about the environment, public health and technology would be objective, reasoned, intellectually honest and grounded in evidence, but there are many forces working against that ideal. The first article in this section explains why in today's “post-truth” world such high expectations no longer hold and lies spread with abandon. People will always dispute the validity of facts, of course, but another story highlights research that shows they often go a step further and reframe an issue in untestable ways. That's a problem because while scientific truths are always provisional at some level, there are plenty of things we know with certainty. Our experts list more than a dozen irrefutable facts. At the end of the day, however, many people say that they trust scientists in general but part company with them on specific issues. Is it any wonder, given the circumstances, that current debates about public policy and personal choices are so fraught? We only hope that by learning more about our biases and tendencies, both innate and acquired, we may one day better grapple with the truth.

Read More:

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American