Who needs facts, anyways?

Who needs facts, anyway?

According to Neuroscience News, "An environment of distrust spurred by anecdotes, fake news, and social media has created a skeptical and misinformed public. As a result, researchers say, society is rejecting the facts.”

If facts no longer matter, how do scientists get their point across?

The conventional wisdom is to double-down on facts while dismissing the public's gullibility. But that's missing the point. Scientists must meet the public where they are --and where they are is a world saturated with information. The public’s brains are full-up with data-centered logical arguments. They're exhausted and so seek alternatives that are less confusing and perhaps less rigorous. If nature abhors a vacuum, then half-truths rush in. Scientists who want to be heard must employ the techniques of storytelling supported by rigorous scientific investigation.

Science is often thought of as dispassionate with the goal of finding truth through testing. But once that truth is found, scientists assume that non-scientists will see that same truth. There’s a saying that you can’t see the label from inside the jar. Scientists must step outside the jar and take responsibility for writing the label –or someone else will.

Because stories are perceived as fictional, they may be distrusted by the scientific community as untrue. Yet truth is often empowered through a good story. And not all stories are imaginary; non-fiction storytelling can shift attitudes. Although based on facts, non-fiction storytelling adopts a point-of-view. Having worked on many PBS documentaries, I know that a point-of-view becomes the organizing principle that turns raw footage into a connection.

Many years ago, I was shooting footage at Sea World in San Diego and met the biologists working with Orcas. They were excited by the recent birth of a calf and what that meant for understanding the species which could lead to the Orcas’ ultimate survival. To them, the public splash shows were a way to pay for their research, a means to an end. Yet, aside from a few “baby born” news stories, the real story was never told.

Several years later, a different non-fiction story took center stage in the movie Blackfish. Sea World has since ended the public shows and the private research.

Science matters. Yet the story of why it matters is rarely told. As Neuroscience News says, “Researchers must help the public understand the rigorous process of science.”

Carl Sagan understood. As the Voyager 1 spacecraft was leaving our solar system, he convinced NASA to snap a picture of the receding earth. The Pale Blue Dot photo conveyed the story of humanity and our need to understand ourselves. To quote Mr. Sagan,

"Everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."

Who needs facts? We all do. But we need stories even more.

Join me in thinking outside of the jar. Connect, message, and let’s start telling stories.

Brad Cochrane StoryFirstSpeaker.com