It may be flattering to be described as Britain’s “top scientist” with the power to “disciplin[e] the disputes and manifest failings” of scientists, but I hasten to assure Simon Jenkins (Scientists aren’t gods. They deserve the same scrutiny as anyone else, 9 June) that science is not a hierarchical priesthood with a papal authority to enforce appropriate discipline and dogma.
At the frontiers of science there is always debate and disagreement about the facts and their meaning. It is only as evidence accumulates that a consensus emerges. Sometimes the consensus itself changes as new facts come to light. It is important that people have at least some idea of the evidence behind various claims and counterclaims so that they can judge their value. What ultimately matters is the strength of the evidence, not the motivation of the researcher or where the funding comes from. This is why it is important to encourage a scientifically engaged society, which must necessarily begin with the education of our children.
Fads will always come and go, but science steadily marches on. It has helped to double our life expectancy in the last century alone, has been a great triumph of human understanding and is an essential part of our culture. Scientists neither expect nor wish to be treated as gods, but we should celebrate science as a human endeavour.
Venki Ramakrishnan
President of the Royal Society
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