There are different types of truth, the integrity of which does not deny the truthfulness of other forms of truth. Through life experience, people understand the idea that truth can be both objective and subjective. However, in a more profound understanding, the truth can be divided into different types of knowledge, such as empirical truth and necessary truth (Solomon and Higgins 147). Science as a source of knowledge and truth can be influenced by biased opinions. This paper will examine how science prioritizes truth using the example of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In science, truth is primarily based on facts obtained through observations and experiments. However, even truth acquired through science may be affected by biases since science is sponsored by people and organizations with their own agendas. On the other hand, it is important to note that the scientific organizations’ progress is based on reputation. In other words, all significant findings must improve the population’s quality of life and stand the test of time. Thus, scientific organizations engaged in the deliberate distortion of the truth will not be able to function in the scientific system for a long time, which minimizes the chances for paid ‘truth’ and biased findings.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic emphasizes how politicians and media can misinterpret objective truth about a subject to manipulate public opinion. While it was known in the early stages of the pandemic that the virus originated from an animal market in Wuhan, China, the media connected the virus with Wuhan Virology Institute (Smith Rogers). The conspiracy theory was distributed further by politicians, aggravating the existing conflict between China and America.
Furthermore, the question of the coronavirus vaccine’s effectiveness has also caused many controversies. In a scientific sense, any vaccine presents a small dose of the virus that the body can handle to build immunity.
However, many people refused to be vaccinated under the pretext that they could not allow unknown ingredients to be injected into their bodies. Moreover, the government had to introduce control measures over the population’s vaccination, partially infringing the population’s right to free movement in public places. Thus, science truthfully positioned the vaccine as the best available alternative to promptly prevent the further spread of the pandemic through the development of populations’ immunity to the virus. Positioning the vaccine as an immunity-stimulating drug with natural ingredients could accelerate the population’s vaccination, but science remained true to the truth in this case.
In conclusion, exploring the impact of science in the COVID-19 pandemic defined two prominent findings. Firstly, science prioritizes truth in order to protect its reputation as a source of empirical knowledge, facts, and truth. Even in cases where misrepresentation of facts could help to cope with the pandemic in a shorter time, science adheres to the single truthful point of view. Therefore, even though science can be influenced by biases from sponsors, it prioritizes its reputation to maintain the public’s trust.
Works Cited
Smith Rogers, Lindsay. “Why Confirming The Origin of COVID-19 Matters.” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 2022. Web.
Solomon, Robert C., and Kathleen M. Higgins. The Big Questions: A Short Introduction to Philosophy. Cengage Learning, 2010.