Originally broadcast at 3:30 p.m. ET Thursday, July 15, 2021.

CLSC Presentation: Why Trust Science During a time when trust in science is weaning, when climate scientists are grasping to convince a large amount of the population to accept the reality of the climate crisis, when anti-vaccine attitude is gaining more traction, Professor 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.

Tracing the history and philosophy of science from the late nineteenth century to today, Professor Oreskes explains that, contrary to popular belief, there is no single scientific method. Rather, the trustworthiness of scientific claims derives from the social process by which they are rigorously vetted.

About Chautauqua Institution: Chautauqua Institution is a community on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York state that comes alive each summer with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. As a community, we celebrate, encourage and study the arts and treat them as integral to all of learning, and we convene the critical conversations of the day to advance understanding through civil dialogue. CHQ Assembly is the online expression of Chautauqua Institution's mission.