The Hallett Inquiry: Eminence-based medicine Part 8

We need consensus science, or do we?

We continue with our series of brief posts focussing on the transcript of Professor Dame Angela McLean’s testimony on November 23rd, 2023.

Dame Angela was a leading light in SAGE and is currently the UK Government's Chief Scientific Advisor.

Here, Dame Angela is describing her preparations for the 20th of September meeting with the PM:

Scientific consensus represents a position generally agreed upon by most scientists in a given field at a specific time. It means all the scientists must support the idea, and that's what the government’s advice provided - consensus.

Consensus is often seen as the ultimate truth. However, it's essential to understand that the scientific consensus is usually developed over many years of experimentation and testing of hypotheses. Yet, all too often, the consensus is debunked by scientific pursuit.  Therefore, the consensus should not be given undue importance in the process of scientific discovery.

Consensus is not truth - experts can be wrong. However, the co…