The Growing Distrust of Science

If it is the job of science to elucidate the processes of nature and use that knowledge to solve problems, why do more and more people distrust science? People from all walks of life have taken stands against science on a variety of issues including: Climate Change, Oceanacidification, Vaccinations, Environmental regulation, Evolution, Medicine and Nutrition. The distrust of science is nothing new, when Galileo indicated that the earth circled the sun, he was declared a heretic and placed under house arrest for the rest of his life. Similarly, Darwin's theory of evolution came out over 150 years ago and is a corner stone of modern biology, yet it is still being rejected by knowledgeable people and the teaching of evolution challenged in certain states. Some propose that people cling to what they know, and that changing entrenched opinion can be a slow process for both individuals and for society