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It's not news that scientists don't always agree. Some argue that we should ditch the food pyramid and that fats aren't the cause of heart disease – others strenuously reject this.
So where does that leave non-scientists trying to work out who to believe and what advice to follow?
Professor Rainer Bromme talks about how to navigate scientific disputes.
Rainer Bromme's advice:
First, check the source. "It is better to go the route of whom to trust than what to believe."
A consensus is a good indicator of truth.
“The nature of scientific consensus typically is an important indication for the achievement of a certain kind of knowledge, but it does not mean that all and everyone believes in a certain result."
Scientific consensus is the consensus of the majority, not everybody who studies in that area.
Sometimes science gets it wrong, but it's not often that the majority view is found to be false, he says.
“Sometimes, as happens in the history of science, the majority is wrong – this fact is the anchor point for many denialists.”
Rainer Bromme will speak at the University of Auckland's Distinguished Visitor Seminar on 19 October.
