Scientists are curious

Those who doubt biological evolution or global warming usually do not trust reports of the science showing the truth of those theories, believing that the scientists who support the hypotheses are being dishonest, making their claims for personal glory or monetary rewards. This denial leads people to ignore overwhelming evidence.

Anyone who claims that scientists are interested in glory or making money must not know any scientists. I was a professional laboratory scientist for more than four decades and so knew dozens of other scientists. The motivation for someone who goes into science is curiosity: Why is the sky blue? What determines how many fingers are on my hand? Why is the southeast half of Arkansas flat with good soil while the northwest half is mountainous and rocky? It’s true that a few scientists make discoveries that provide monetary rewards, but they are not many, and they didn’t start out to make money.

Most scientists work for universities, the government, or nonprofit organizations; they have to spend much of their time writing grant applications or otherwise trying to obtain funding for their research, on top of countless hours working in the field or laboratory, writing reports about their findings, and teaching. If you want to see people who are better off monetarily, consider those who work for large corporations, like power companies whose bottom lines might be adversely affected by attempts to decrease CO2 emissions.

In other words, scientists are driven by curiosity, not desire for personal gain, and by the pleasure of learning how the world works: studying tiny objects like bacteria and human cells; learning about the cosmos—the vast distance to other galaxies and the discovery of worlds around other stars. Their studies show that they and we are all part of a wonderful universe. They want to preserve the great place we all inhabit.

WILLIAM B. MELCHIOR JR. Little Rock