Scientists are nerds, socially inept, working on incomprehensible subjects that no normal person would find in any way interesting - even if he were willing to invest the time required, which, again, no sensible person would. It is just the best we have. In this respect, as in many others, it's like democracy. We are error-prone. We're good at some things but not in everything.
Wisdom lies in understanding our limitations.
That's where the stuffy skeptical rigor of science comes in. The method of science, as stodgy and grumpy as it may seem, is far more important than the findings of science. This is accomplished by one of the most exacting of intellectual disciplines. In physics the worker learns the possibility of error very early. The refinement of techniques for the prompt discovery of error serves as well as any other as a hallmark of what we mean by science.