Both in and outside the classroom, science educators are often confronted with a great range of questions about science. Usually, these questions are about scientific products (What is evolution by natural selection?) or scientific processes (How did Darwin conclude that species evolve by natural selection?).
Other questions, however, may be more challenging; they address the epistemic authority of science and demand knowledge about why we should trust scientific inquiry as a reliable way—or the most reliable way—to answer certain questions about ourselves and the world.
On one occasion, one of the authors of this article was talking to a relative, “Parker,” a medical practitioner. Parker asked about the scientific consensus on the possible coexistence of human beings and (non-avian) dinosaurs. On the surface, this question seems to demand some blend of scientific products and processes be answered, but the real motivation behind it was soon apparent.