“One problem with science is that most scientists have to also put food on their plate so being human and maintaining 100% unbiased reporting can often be contradictive. Climate change advocates are a classic example of this scenario.”

I’d imagine from this that you’re a climate change skeptic?

I don’t buy the argument. The “not 100%” is just the human condition and applies to everybody about everything all the time. Add that to the fact science isn’t 100%, and you’ll always have room for error. On the other hand, since scientists come in all flavors, there are always contrarians eager to disagree because they like to disagree. I don’t think most non-scientists realize this. I wouldn’t swear there’s somebody with a PhD who believes the Earth is shaped like a burrito, but I wouldn’t swear there isn’t. Having spent most of my life in academia, I assure you there’s always someone who would like nothing more than to take you and your research down.

The “food on the plate” argument also seems questionable. The big money is on the climate-denier side. If a scientist were in it for the $$$, they should go that route. The oil companies and right-wing think tanks would make them a millionaire.

But as for the reality of climate change, it’s the definite scientific consensus. The military believes it. Hell, the oil companies have known it for decades despite their public statements.

The idea that scientists are faking their research for cash is questionable at the absolute least.

“I would concur, Gravity is an excellent example of not being fully understood, but many concepts are very well understood, such as chemistry and chemical and physical interactions both on the molecular and atomic level. Complexity can arise when researchers draw in parallel to sets of phenomena and then attempt to establish a correlation between the two.”

Correlation v. causation is research 101. I think the problem lies in the media and other entities that either don’t understand science or seek to undermine it.

“The average person, esp from the west or has been subject to most modern schooling should still, however, grasp that there are physical constants and parameters that are universally accepted.”

I think that’s optimistic, unfortunately, particularly in cases such as religion rejecting anything that conflicts with doctrine.

“I think you will find another issue is that because of our ancestorial community survival paradigm… most individuals will go along with what talking heads say because historically objection to the narrative often meant ostracization from the community and potential death either due to the elements or from some sort of predatory aggressor.”

The problem when it comes to complex specialized fields of knowledge is we have no choice but to trust the experts. Average folks and even other scientists in different fields can’t “do their own research” because they lack the knowledge base to even understand the issue, much less draw valid conclusions.

“The average person is more moved by emotion and what others say or do rather than believe the actual empirical evidence even if that is laid out in front of them.”

True dat. It’s one of the problems with knowledge — there’s always someone trying to undermine it, especially when you’re trying to prove something difficult or unpleasant. It’s always easier to create emotion on the other side. As Upton Sinclair said, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”

“‘ Milgrams experiment’ springs to mind when debating about homosapien actual lack of moral judgement or logical reasoning.”

Something to always keep in mind. We are unreliable beasts.

“We have the capacity to comprehend very complex subject matter,”

Not the case for most science in the 21st century. Most people lack the capacity to comprehend most of what is going on in their lives.

“and hence another issue is the way in which this information is often conveyed,”

This is a problem. The media is almost always undereducated and looking for a good headline, so they get parts wrong, creating doubt when the accurate results come out later. For something like climate change, there’s also the full-court press by conservatives and the fossil fuel industries to deny, muddy the water, or just outright lie.

“so maybe that says a lot for most modern jurisdictions schooling systems.”

The problem with schools is the problem with America. We are an anti-intellectual culture that uses schools and teachers as political footballs and arenas for the culture wars. I’m glad I’m not a science teacher, worried that anytime I so much as touch a controversial topic, some parent will show up swinging a Bible and calling for my head.