From being seen as the panacea to all ills, scientific advances are today being seen by many as an alien legacy or a partial cure at best. Though science is still respected by many, there is a tendency to discard much of what scientists say in fields like GM crops, and other technology, even while accepting the dire prognosis made by climate scientists. How did this choice come into being. T V Venkateswaran probes these questions in an article that explores the evolution of ideas pertaining to science and the people.