Is it necessary to trust scientists? Should we rely on our own knowledge and understanding instead of trusting science?

Relying on your own knowledge led to burning witches.and many dying young of disease.

Everything must be proved beyond doubt.

Devices work because they are designed from scientific information, aka fact

Scientists are motivated by curiosity and discovery. Honesty is required for this work, any cheating is found sooner or later, and the scientists are out of a job. Science is not done by one person but by a worldwide community of scientists who constantly look for mistakes in experiments and papers. When something is acceptable to scientific community , it’s been tested by many.

Nobody needs to trust scientists because trust is not needed. Everything that is accepted as valid must first go through a gauntlet of reviews and repetitions of the experiment to see if it produces the same data by many independent scientists. If the experiment and results are the same and results pass a statistical test as being due to a real property instead of chance, then the scientific consensus is that results are valid. Then it’s a fact

Science is about discovery. Any experimental results must fit with what we already know at the time. When new information is discovered, then it may require changing our understanding to fit the current discovery.

Radiation completely upended physics but eventually it’s understood

scientist are people who learn a method of work that tests if two things are related.

Eliminate everything except A and B which are being tested. Vary A and measure if B changes

Remove sources of error: make procedures & follow them. Test and repair any mechanical or electric devices. Check all connections.

Each measurement has an error range of +\- half of the smallest measurement .

Data quality control : add all error ranges , no data within error range is valid