Ontological Security and Surrogate Knowledge: On the Social Basis of the Distrust of Science

The article considers the problem of social grounds for the distrust of science, which is connected with the demand for pseudo- and anti-scientific movements. The author believes that the opposition movements to official science speculate on a person’s desire for “ontological security” and a stable picture of the world. In this regard, the “reflexive nature” of scientific knowledge turns out to be an obstacle to gaining a solid existential foundation in the face of increasing information pressure. The author believes that the archaization of ordinary consciousness becomes a response to intensive structural changes in the society and indicates a protest attitude towards them. Referring to Anthony Giddens’ ideas, the author claims that the distrust of science is associated with the destruction of a personalist model of pre-modern trust and the need for a transition to trust in “abstract systems”. In this regard, the author analyzes the prospects of using a personalist model of trust in strengthening the legitimacy of science as a social institution and places hopes on the emergence of public opinion leaders among scientists. The expansion of scientific rationality, which will be primarily associated with the recognition of scientific ethos as a reference model of communication in a democratic society, can help overcome the crisis of institutional trust.

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