IN MALAYSIA social science and natural science stand poles apart. There is very little collaboration between scientists in these two fields. While scientists from both sides create body of knowledge and their work is based on empirical data, there seem to be lack of understanding and trust between them. This could have stemmed from our tradition of segregating science and arts at a very early stage of our education life.
The pandemic more than ever sees the importance of social science working hand-in-hand with natural science to get us out of this crisis or even prevent or manage future crisis better.[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”block” ihc_mb_who=”unreg” ihc_mb_template=”3″ ]
We all know the role of natural sciences in this pandemic – from the basic research of understanding the virus, human physiology to developing drugs, PPE and biocontainment facilities. This involves various branches of science – microbiology, biochemistry, medicine, IT, engineering, bioinformatics, mathematical models and material science to name a few.
How about the role of social scientists in response to Covid19, especially in preparing the post-pandemic world? There is so much of talks and efforts in strengthening science and research & development, but ensuring the products of science are delivered and accepted, and policies are implemented effectively are the roles of social science. We are now talking about social licensing. Simply put this is about approvals from the society for new technologies where it is not all about regulatory approval.
Here are a few areas where interventions from social science is critical. This is in fact, a golden opportunity for social scientists to study social order and the good, bad and ugly in our society. We are seeing how Covid19 clusters are emerging among migrant workers. This raises questions on what have been swept under the carpet for years. There are many other areas that are rearing their ugly heads now – domestic violence and abuse; the post-trust and post-truth ideology; our healthcare system; and public knowledge on basic science for informed decision making. These are just a few among a host of issues that need to be resolved to face future health crises.
Public health requires integration of social science to determine how socioeconomic status and environment determine who is more vulnerable to this virus or any. We are seeing certain trends in all countries in terms of gender, race, ethnicity and also economic status. Certain sectors of the society are more vulnerable to an epidemic or pandemic. What type of support should be in place to get them out of this vulnerability? Having local knowledge about the affected community, their livelihood, lifestyle, socioeconomic status will help quickly save lives and reduce the spread of the outbreak.
We are also unsure how people adapt to the uncertainties and manage prolonged economic turmoil. Mental health is compromised and this leads to many other social problems. Number of suicidal cases are in the increase compared to the same time last year. Support for post-recovery is an area where social scientists could help by promoting good mental health and picking up their lives again whether it is their livelihood, education or even relationships.
The post-trust and post-truth era is giving rise to a society that does not believe in authorities and scientific bodies. This would mean even if we have regulatory approvals for new drugs and vaccines, social licensing will create problems in public acceptance. With these challenge, how can mass vaccination programme be effectively implemented?
Till now, science communicators are puzzled with how the public evaluate and perceive risks. There is no one answer to this. Indigenous and local knowledge, value, culture, educational background and influence from the media and peer are some of the factors. Only through the lens of social science we will be in a better position to understand this and arrest the problem so we can see increase in compliance to SOPs.
What gives rise to speculations that Covid19 is a big lie by Bill Gates and his likes? Anti-science and fake news in science is not new. We have flat earthers, anti-vaxxers and anti-GMOs. It has been tough to crack this ideology but efforts should be enhanced so pseudoscience does not become the new norm.
I am sure many efforts are in place in Malaysia or elsewhere to integrate science and social science. What is needed is more recognition for social science, encourage young people to pursue the various disciplines in social science instead of just promoting STEM, collaboration between social and natural scientists, and incentivising social scientists to support the fight against the pandemic. As a science communicator, I took full opportunity of the pandemic to communicate science and tell the society how science impacts all aspects of our life. I see renewed interest in science among the public.
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