There Are No Solutions In The Real World, Only Tradeoffs

Should we “trust the science”? What does that even mean?

Dr. Carlos Carvalho is a professor of statistics and the Executive Director of the Salem Center for Policy at the University of Texas at Austin. He’s an expert in analyzing data and understanding the tradeoffs of competing policies.

Dr. Carvalho doesn’t believe we should “trust the science” because science is not capable of leading people. The scientific method is a process of gathering information about the world, but in the end, decision making lies with each of us, according to our values.

That said, Dr. Carvalho knows how important data is to the decision making process. In fact, one of the biggest problems today is that, whether the issue is poverty, climate change, or infectious disease, most people don’t have an accurate dataset on which to base their decisions. In his classes, he teaches the current generation of college students how to avoid these pitfalls and develop reliable critical thinking skills to carry with them into their lives after college.

If you would like to check out Dr. Carvalho's work at the Salem Center, click here.