Only a Theory? Substantive and Methodological Strategies for Regaining Trust in Science

Even after decades of emphasizing the importance of competent, impartial, and widely understandable communication of scientific claims, one can still often hear the phrase ‘but it’s just a theory’. Trust in science seems easily shaken, hard to acquire, and almost impossible to regain. The aim we have in this paper is to discuss the problem of trust in science and to outline a viable solution to it. Our approach unfolds in three successive stages. First, we will go through the empirical research pertaining to the issue. Second, we will take a more nuanced look at what the phrase ‘trust in science’ actually means. Third, we will point to some commonly suggested substantive strategies for restoring trust in science and argue that they will not be successful if they are not accompanied by methodological strategies aimed at a thorough understanding of the phenomenon of trust in science.