Yes, Virginia there ARE Two Sides to Vaccines

[daredtowork]

11. The other side of the polygon

I think this issue needs to stop being discussed in a unilaterally condescending Science vs. Nutjobs way.

Rather, I think scientists - particularly in University settings - need to start taking sources of distrust seriously. They should work harder to build bridges on their side. And I don't mean just by promoting celebrities through popular science TV shows.

Scientists should take heed to not only where they accept funding from, but how their funding models are going to impact public perception of their work. Would there be such paranoia about GMOs now if Monsanto weren't funding academic chairs and research? Same with vaccines. Same with vaping. This is where Obama's private-public partnerships may get into trouble, too.

Another thing I've been wondering is whether scientific papers HAVE to be written the way they are: perhaps a move to make scientific discovery itself more of a gift to the public realm would be of some service.

Also, I'm thinking special courts should be developed with Judges who have scientific training. Over the years there have been legal standards developed to help courts establish standards of scientific evidence and verify who the "experts" are. Perhaps what we need is that kind of procedure for scientific matters themselves. These rulings could then be used as precedents for other sorts of cases, such as ones dealing with environmental injustice or the vaccine situation.