Personal Epistemologies and Science Information: Exploring the Role of Scientific Evidence and Trust in Four Science-Related Topics

Abstract

This chapter is based on a consultation on science communication organised in Portugal, in November 2019, in the context of the EU-funded project CONCISE (Communication Role on Perception and Beliefs of EU Citizens about Science). The main goal of the project was to provide qualitative knowledge through citizen consultation on the sources/channels by which EU citizens acquire their science-related knowledge and to understand how this knowledge influences their beliefs, opinions, and perceptions. The public consultation was held in Lisbon and had 102 citizens participating each in four rounds of group discussions, each revolving around a distinct science-related topic: climate change, vaccines, comple-mentary and alternative medicine,1 and GMOs (genetically modified organisms)2 . Using vignettes to illustrate individual positions, in this chapter, we examine these discussions through the lens of personal epis-temology theories (Hofer, 2008) and epistemic trust (Hendriks et al., 2016), focusing on the positions of selected participants throughout the four rounds of discussions of the Portuguese consultation. Our research question: how are personal epistemologies of science expressed when participants discuss different science-related topics? More specifically, by analysing the basis upon which participants justify their epistemic trust (or distrust) in science and expert knowledge, when assessing information on these subjects, we aim to reflect on the relation-ships individuals have with science in general and with specific scientific topics and how trust in scientific expertise is contextually interpreted.