Over the years, my faith in the accuracy — as well as the good intentions — of any sort of scientific or medical “leader” has deteriorated to the point where it has actually gone negative.
There was a point in time — in years gone by — where, if a doctor told me that it was important to take a specific medication, I would believe them. I would take the medication and thank them for helping me to improve my health.
I would believe both that it was a scientifically sound idea to take said medication… and that their intentions were to help me (or, at least, “do no harm”).
That all has changed.
At this point, the steady stream of provably false information presented as “fact”, appears to outnumber the veritably correct information.
Women can become men.
Men can have babies.
Puberty blockers in little kids is harmless and a good thing.
All vaccines are safe and effective.
Masks are effective and/or not effective and/or counterproductive.
Cholesterol is terrible… also cholesterol is good.
We’re entering an ice age! The ice is going to kill us all!
We’re experiencing global warming! The heat is going to kill us all!
The list goes on and on. (Anyone alive during the 1970s and 1980s remembers how quickly the declaration from “Ice Age” to “Global Warming” came about.)
And, as a result, I have become immediately skeptical of absolutely everything said by anyone who claims to be a part of the “Medical” or “Scientific communities”.
One of the things that causes me the greatest amount of skepticism is how profoundly confident these scientific leaders always claim they are.
“The science is settled!”
How often do we hear that?
And, even more importantly, how often does something like “the science is settled” get said… followed by it becoming obvious that “the science was wrong” only a few years later?
If scientists were more honest (perhaps, even with themselves) about the scientific process — where everything should be questioned, always — I would probably be more likely to trust in whatever their current results and opinions are. That would show me two things:
That the scientist is questioning their own results (and, hence, are more likely to be more rigorous in their testing) and
That the scientist is less likely to have an ulterior motive or pre-disposed bias.
Instead, we have talking head scientists that declare “the science is settled” without, clearly, doing sufficient testing of their theories. Followed, of course, by immediately condemning any people who would question the results.
Which is about as far from core scientific principles as you can get. And, certainly, in direct opposition to the Scientific Method.
Note that two key parts of the Scientific Method are geared towards challenging what we think we know:
Propose a Question / Make an Observation
Test with experiments
Suggest something new — something that, quite often, runs contrary to the currently understood “science” — then attempt to both prove and disprove it. Rigorously. Enthusiastically.
Those core steps within the Scientific Method have all but been eradicated. In fact, the whole Scientific Method itself appears to have been overhauled to be something a bit more like this…
Declaration of “truth” — Example: “The vaccines are safe”
Vilify non-believers — Example: “Anti-vaxxers hate science!”
Get marching orders — Understand what information your leaders / funders want to be public… and what “facts” need to be created.
Test minimally — Determine a minimal amount of testing that can be done where it looks like the idea is being tested… but not in any rigorous way.
Cherry pick data — No matter how the testing turns out, only use what supports steps 1 and 3.
Report conclusions —Report that data and the conclusions based on it. Make it look “science-y”.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Perhaps I have become more than just a skeptic. Perhaps… I am now a full blown cynic as well. Perhaps it is the politicians, scientists, and doctors that have pushed me in that direction.
Regardless. One thing remains certain…
Men can’t have babies.
This is an article from The Lunduke Journal of Conservative Nerdiness.
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