Science-on-chain: How can we trust science again?

Over the last few decades society has lost significant trust in the work of the scientific community and debated the trustworthiness of scientific findings and (policy) implications. In response, an open science framework has been proposed based on accessibility and transparency of data and increased collaboration and participation among the scientific community and society at large. We argue that this can restore trust within society, and science itself. Following the proposed framework innovative scientists discovered the affordances of blockchain technology (e.g. inherent transparency, immutability, data security). However, since this issue describes a fundamental trend in society as a whole, it is worthwhile to conduct a sociological analysis through Niklas Luhmann’s Systems Theory that focuses on both the functional areas and the purpose of trust in modern societies and the overall approach to disruptive technologies. This paper focuses on two key texts, the Bitcoin and Bloxberg white papers, used here as case studies to examine the theoretical underpinnings of trust in blockchain-based systems. We argue that while blockchain offers potential solutions, the term ‘trust’ is often misused in these discourses, overshadowing the need for a robust sociological framework. By critically analysing these technologies, we highlight their potential to reshape scientific practices and restore trust through a decentralised, transparent infrastructure.