Can there be such a thing as a consensus in science?

Question

Can there be such a thing as a consensus in science?

Answer 1

Of course. Science works with checks and balances. If someone has an idea, it is tested. If it holds up to repeated tests and data analysis the scientific community begins to agree that it is true. With more tests and analysis the idea gets refined and even more accurate. Global warming has survived this process with flying colors. Only the brainwashed and ignorant don't know this. This is not my opinion, this is a solid fact.

Answer 2

Yes, when you want to silence the opposition, then that is exactly where it would apply.  I wonder why they (global warming alarmists) are trying so hard to 'change' people's minds?  It seems like people are more dedicated to money because they (global warming alarmists) still drive cars, still have exorbitant electric bills and aren't any more greener than anyone else.  Like one of the producers of "An Inconvenient Truth" that flies on a private jet, yet makes fun of Hummers?  I think one private jet flight emits more CO2 than ten Hummers.  

Hypocrisy has no bounds...

Answer 3

There can be, but it doesn’t mean it is correct. After all, there  was once a consensus that the earth was flat and the sun revolved around it.

Answer 4

?...hmm i dunno. science is very discrete and precise.

Answer 5

well, global warming n**i scientists always tell us that there is overwhelming proof of man-made global warming with impending doom for all.

But if that's true, why are they even using the word "consensus" when this implies debate, and opposing opinions.?

Scientists with agendas are being given a voice.  Those with common sense are being silenced if not removed from their jobs.

It's a disgrace.

Answer 6

Sure.  

With respect to global warming, there is no consensus--at all.

Consensus in no way means those involved are right though.

Answer 7

Consensus is a political term and not a scientific one. There was a consensus that the Patriots would win the superbowl, did that make it true or was it just the opinion of many people and at the same time false.

Answer 8

Consensus (concerning global warming)is obviously not found in here. Some things aren't a question of public opinion or public judgment. I sadly see the issue of gw is being descredited by people, away from the true scientific community. It seems the once,  so recently, ignored cry of scientists for this problem became a boring fashion... Truly sad. At least i can still find a spark of trustable sources, thank you Bob!

Answer 9

Yes of course.  As various theoris are tested and confirmed they become a law. Global warming for instance has largely been confirmed by science.  Those that doubt it would be increasingly seen as not credible in the scientific community.

Answer 10

No. Once you start talking consensus, you stopped talking about science

Answer 11

There can be, but it varies a lot.  The scientists who built the first nuclear device were not a consensus or a majority, they just represented the best of their era.  The scientists who say the world is overpopulated are both a consensus and a majority.

VOR, not among scientists was there any consensus the world was flat.

Answer 12

I suppose so in the face of overwhelming evidence.  It depends on what the definition of consensus is, would a 99.9% agreement be consensus or not?  Im sure consensus does exist on matters like, is the earth a sphere?  Opponents of that thinking would not be scientists.

Answer 13

Interestingly, there is not a concensus that the earth is a sphere.  In fact it turns out to be an oblate spheroid.  I know I am being a bit nit picky but the point is sometimes when scientists think they know something, it turns out that they didn't.  Concensus is a very tricky thing and when politics are involved as is the case with Global Warming, concensus is more of a political achievement than a scientific one.

Answer 14

Yes.  Scientific consensus is a term used often when discussing various scientific concepts.  Since everything in science is tentative (i.e. any theory could change or be disproved by new facts that won't fit an existing theory) using the phrase "scientific consensus" is often a very accurate way to describe things.

Answer 15

Sure.  A consensus simply means the large majority of people in a group agree on something.  It's not sinister or evil.

And there is most definitely a consensus in the scientific community that global warming is real, and mostly caused by us.

"The fact that the community overwhelmingly supports the consensus is evidenced by picking up any copy of Journal of Climate or similar, any scientific program at the meetings, or simply going to talk to scientists. I challenge you, if you think there is some un-reported division, show me the hundreds of abstracts that support your view - you won't be able to. You can argue whether the consensus is correct, or what it really implies, but you can't credibly argue it doesn't exist."

NASA's Gavin Schmidt

By the way, on the flat world thing.  2000 years ago Eratosthenes measured the diameter of the world.  After that, there was a consensus among scientists that the world was round.  It was ignorant "skeptics" who denied scientific fact, and refused to accept the data as real, who still said it was flat.

The parallels to global warming science today are obvious.