Scientists have no special purchase on moral or ethical decisions; a climate scientist is no more qualified to comment on health care reform than a physicist is to judge the causes of bee colony collapse. The very features that create expertise in a specialized domain lead to ignorance in many others. In some cases lay people ― farmers, fishermen, patients, native peoples ― may have relevant experiences that scientists can learn from. Indeed, in recent years, scientists have begun to recognize this: the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment includes observations gathered from local native groups. So our trust needs to be limited, and focused. It needs to be very particular. Blind trust will get us into at least as much trouble as no trust at all. But without some degree of trust in our designated experts ― the men and women who have devoted their lives to sorting out tough questions about the natural world we live in ― we are paralyzed, in effect not knowing whether to make ready for the morning commute or not.

* lay: 전문가가 아닌 ** paralyze: 마비시키다 *** commute: 통근