Why You Should Love (Social) Science
There’s a rather large and troubling gap between what the public knows about social problems and what social scientists know. There are a few reasons for this, with propaganda being a big one. A few misunderstandings about how society works and how science works are involved. And, finally, we have a kind of lingering snobbishness about social science combined with a misplaced concern that social scientists are trying to sell us dangerous ideas.
Science, Science Literacy, and Social Problems
We like to think we understand the world. Thanks to scientists with their lab equipment, computer programs, radio telescopes, and particle accelerators, we think the natural world’s pretty well been figured out. Only some truly esoteric topics remain, like black holes and why people vote for Republicans.
That last example was a joke, but it does point out a real problem. Most of us probably have very little idea why someone votes Republican or Democrat or Libertarian. We don’t know why Karen is an atheist or why one kid from Section 8 housing is on a full scholarship up at Harvard while another “kid” from the same neighborhood is in prison for shooting someone.
Yet, many people think they know. Sometimes people make bad choices in life. God moves in mysterious ways. Some people are just dumb.
While all of those things may be true to some extent (this publication does not attempt to evaluate religious claims, for the most part) they all oversimplify things. Some amount of digging will reveal a variety of factors behind things like success, criminality, and intelligence.
Success — Why is Dave a successful restaurant owner while Jim who grew up on the same street is driving a beer delivery truck for $24 per hour? We know a variety of factors, like intelligence, matter.
Intelligence — Scientists know that genetics, the environment in the mother’s womb, and the childhood social environment have big roles in determining whether Jane or Sally ends up doing better on intelligence tests.
Criminality — The FBI is only one of many interested parties who recognize that crime rises and falls for many reasons.
A little social science literacy will help you understand that policies to address crime, poverty, homelessness, and climate change are tough to create. “Solving crime” isn’t like figuring out why sales are down at your restaurant.
The example may sound flippant or trivial. Is it?
The Least You Need to Know
Polls and surveys can be abused, but they can also tell us much about society.
Social problems are complicated. Poverty doesn’t come down to poor life choices. Neither does crime.
Oh, and polls and surveys can work. Their apparent value tends to ebb and flow way more than their actual value does. Consider political polling. Who is likely to be the next PM? What candidate has the most support among American voters? Have you ever donated to an animal rescue organization?
Okay, that last question doesn’t fit. Oddly, that sort of question is probably way more consequential for your life than whether the PM and presidential polls were right.
Misconceptions about biology, chemistry, and physics abound. Some of the problems come from people not understanding the relevant scientific terms
- Climate change is fake because winter in Boston has been cold.
- Evolution is a theory, not a fact. It shouldn’t be too hard to find other examples.
Similar problems come up when we talk about social issues and the science behind them. Surveys can be made to say whatever the sponsor wants. Sociology is common sense. Economics cannot be a science. And so on.
Problem #1 — Personal Costs
Not understanding physics can get you killed. Not understanding society can also cause problems, problems that are arguably pretty serious. If someone pretends that the Law of Gravity is more of a suggestion, they might die. Science literacy is a good antidote to that sort of behavior. Science literacy also offers protection from other kinds of pseudoscience. Can Vitamin X make you smarter? No. Can sleeping with rose quartz under your pillow help you attract wealth? No.
In economics, psychology, and sociology, a similar protective effect is possible. And needed.
- How many people know what an alpha male is?
- How many people take their enneagram test results seriously?
- How many Americans think crime is out of control?
Those three propositions all have some serious issues, issues you can easily overlook if you want to. People can waste time, money, and credit to pretend that they’ve taken control of their health, wealth, and personal safety.
Activists and politicians may “sell” you ideas that are not scientific in the social science meaning and some of those ideas might affect social policies.
Problem #2 — Misguided Social Policies
This same thinking leads to lots of mistakes when we think about social problems. More importantly, we are prone to buying solutions that will not work. More capital punishment should cut down on serious crime. Right? Cutting people off of welfare will encourage them to work harder. And so on.
Consider crime. Is crime in the United States “out of control” now? No one can say. Why not? Because “out of control” isn’t something you can measure. The Federal Bureau of Investigation tracks the rate of certain crimes around the country. If those figures have spiked over the past few years, we have a problem. If the numbers are at or near where they were over the past several years, what does it mean? It probably does NOT indicate that crime is out of control unless you listen to the wrong people.
With crime supposedly out of control, politicians can talk us into spending lots of money on things that may not help and may cause new, and serious, problems of their own. Activists may sell us imaginary solutions that are expensive in terms of time and money.
There is a defense against that sort of hustling. The defense is, at the risk of being simplistic, to know how things work.
Knowledge is Power, They Say
Maybe controlling access to knowledge is power. Maybe the ability to define what counts is knowledge. Whatever the case, knowledge about how society works You can protect yourself from propaganda and nonsense from politicians and pundits but only if you know how, and only if you want to. The “How to Think About” article series in Social Pollution Prevention will help you learn more about the social world. You will also learn those with power and influence might manipulate our understanding of things.
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