Fallible In Defence of a Fallible Science Science C
emy’s d a c A ung The Yo festo i n a M rona o C t s o P
JORIS VANDENDRIESSCHE WITH ALL MEMBERS
ovid-19 put more pressure on scientists than ever before. The speed at which the corona virus struck forced virologists and researchers from related disciplines to take on a visible
public role at a time when the scientific knowledge about this new infectious disease was limited. They captured the pandemic in numbers, but were also asked questions about unknown aspects of the affliction or about the future course of the epidemic, which they couldn’t possibly answer with the swiftness expected of them. In addition, they were not only advising politicians behind the scenes but were also asked to clarify the policy measures that were taken, in the media. In the process, the boundaries between science and politics sometimes became blurred. Scientists were also faced with the limits of their own 46
expertise. For example, the analysis of the corona epidemic as a medical and social problem required a multidisciplinary approach in which, for instance, the importance of the role of (motivational) psychologists was only recognized late and not without difficulty. At the same time, the virus also exposed the boundaries of science, of measuring, counting, and analysing, while demonstrating that thorough research required time. The loss of life and the experiences of the lockdown were after all widely accompanied with feelings of deprivation, discomfort, and loneliness— feelings that not only needed
