Objectivity (science)

Objectivity in science means that scientific ideas and measurements are tested. That means they are independent from the individual scientist (the subject) who proposes them. In other words, if scientist A claims something, scientist B must be able to check whether A is right.

The evidence can (in principle) be shown to anyone who doubts it. The "in principle" bit is because some science needs complex machinery, and if you don't understand the machinery, you won't understand the results. But elementary science can often be shown in a classroom, or on television.

Some science does need a proper scientific education. To some extent the general public has to trust a qualified scientist to present the idea in some suitable form. That means on television or on the web, or perhaps in published articles or books. Most awards of the Nobel Prize in science are followed by presentations on various web channels.

It is generally agreed that, at least in some subjects, modern science needs a person to have some education before they can understand it. Specialist communicators often do this on television or the web. 150 years ago, people read science directly from books written by scientists like Faraday and Darwin. Now most people get their science from people who act as communicators of science.