This article is written appropriately after the march for science. This was a time for people to voice their concerns about the general decrease in respect for science in America, particularly by the latest presidential administration. The article was written by Marcos du Sautoy of the Los Angeles Times. This is a very well-respected organization. The article discusses several instances in which the public, at least part of it, has dismissed the word of scientists. Perhaps the most profound example of this is the anti-vax movement that has led to an increase in measles cases. This movement not only went against the word of the scientific community but also against what should be common sense.
The rhetoric of this article is affective because it is able to acknowledge this legitimacy of the anti-science side, which may not appear to have any credibility at first. One example of this is when the article states “sometimes science goes against intuition.” This may seem obvious, but to someone with very little intellectual ability, it is a reason to discredit science. A more understandable rationale that the article provides is the idea that scientists may act in self-interest. For instance, they may publish false information in order to bring attention to themselves. This suspicion has led to countless conspiracy theories.
Ultimately, the article is preaching to the choir. The people in this country who choose to ignore the word of people who research professionally are too ignorant and miserable to be affected by an article criticizing them. This article is simply yet more reason for the educated to feel superior to groups such as anti-vaxxers. The only place where this article may have any effect is in the Trump administration, a target of the march for science. The people in there may be willing to listen, and we better hope they are.
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