Emotions and Distrust in Science

Abstract

In our interactions with science, we are often vulnerable; we do not have complete control of the situation and there is a risk that we, or those we love, might be harmed. This is not an emotionally neutral experience. There has been an outpouring of philosophical literature on trust in science as the consequences of distrust become clear. This has exclusively focussed on epistemic and value-based dimensions of trust. In this paper, I advocate for taking the emotional aspects of distrust in science seriously.