Scientists Admitting They Were Wrong

Prominent UK scientists, interviewed by the media in the Covid19 pandemic, were asked what they had got wrong (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/04/i-didnt-think-vaccines-would-work-scientists-admit-their-covid-mistakes). The scientists admitted making individual errors on issues such as the probable effectiveness of vaccines; whether lockdowns would work in the UK; the imperative to vaccinate children; facemask mandates etc. It was interesting to see that all the scientists accepted that they had had to change some of their views, over the course of the pandemic as evidence changed. Although some were castigated on social media for modifying their opinions, scientific progress is made by proving that initial assumptions are wrong. This has always been the case but this has has been especially exposed by the Covid19 pandemic. Scientists were often asked to provide 'best guesses', based on inadequate information. Because of the urgency, data was also often released before being reflected on in peer reviews. In contrast to politics, changing one's mind in science, is actually regarded as a sign of appropriate rigour. One must be very suspicious of a scientist, who is never wrong!