Claiming scientists have a priori moral authority is delusional and ethically indefensible, yet the cult of scientism grows.
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I would not trust the advice of a pro footballer, not because he is necessarily immoral, but because he has spent his life on football.
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Off the pitch, what will this person know of the world? What moral training do they have, outside the realm of team sports and work ethic?
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If someone has a pseudo-autistic drive to figure out the properties of *insert field here*, I need evidence they know anything outside it.
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I suspect people turn to scientists for their thoughts because they're the last generally respected remnants of an intellectual class.
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They don't necessarily (in fact, as you say, they almost by definition *don't*) know everything, but at least they know *something*.
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I am not angry at people who look for guidance in specific areas, but scientists claiming to be moral authorities can fuck right off.
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Yeah, I'd say so. But that's predicated on ethical and moral work, not on developing theorems for (generally) the military or corporations.
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TBH, I'm going to be reflexively cautious about anyone who claims authority, rather than providing cogent moral ideas.
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The fact that *anyone* should be met with skepticism, not just laymen, is a reason why scientism is so toxic and indeed anti-scientific.