Science can guide society through any crisis, researcher says

Science gives society tools to navigate information and make decisions, Arko Olesk, a senior researcher in science communication at Tallinn University, told ERR’s programme “Attention! This is science”.

Scientific knowledge and skills, including critical thinking and the ability to assess claims, help people handle everyday information and support politicians making laws and businesses developing products and services, Olesk said.

That does not mean everyone needs to follow every scientific development. What matters is that people can access and understand relevant research when they need it to make decisions or assess a situation.

Olesk said scientists should communicate actively with the public, but that requires personal motivation. In his doctoral research, he found that scientists who had identified practical benefits of public communication were the most active and visible. Their aims included attracting students, finding business partners, influencing policy or shaping public opinion.

Complex issues such as climate change require reliable information to help society make the best decisions, even when definitive answers are unavailable, he said. Knowledge has little value if it remains in laboratories or research papers; scientists need to convey the most important findings to those who can use them.