Correcting Ourselves, Using Science

SCIENCE MAKES MISTAKES. Many mistakes. Scientists, being human, go astray. But it corrects them, always. And that is exactly why science works so well, and should replace religion as the object of our loyalties. A revealing new book "Pandora's Lab" details seven striking examples of science gone wrong. In 1962 Rachel Carson published the seminal book "Silent Spring", which overstated the dangers of DDT, which got the chemical banned, after which and ever since which there has been a global malaria epidemic. I can remember, back in the fearless old days, as a very small child, running behind a big white truck as it sprayed DDT on the streets of my town, bathing me and all the other kids in a refreshing cool mist. somehow, we survived it. Until world war two or so, lobotomies, holes in the head, were considered effective medial practice. Science is the best method for making progress because science corrects its mistakes. Far more harmful than repairable scientific error is abuse of science by people in power who do not understand science. An interesting new book "Not A Scientist" discusses this. A good example is climate change denial in the Trump administration. Science has been used by people in power, and by society in general, to justify slavery, eugenics, forced sterilization. Science, in a way, is like money and marriage. it can be either extremely pleasant an beneficial, or extremely harmful. Being human includes the responsibility of deciding what to make of powerful forces like marriage, money, and science. Our choices make the world what it is, or isn't. Considering how science permeates our modern lives, we are not living in a scientific age. Many Americas seem to regard science as just another opinion, which it most certainly isn't. Science is a system designed to arrive at truth, such as the size of the world or the boiling temperature of water. many Americans seem to think they can to use their own personal science to build their own realities. We can indeed do these things, but it isn't science. I remember my friend's words, which which saddened and disturbed me. "There are many species of intelligent life in the galaxy genetically related to us." Oh, really? How exciting! How did you find out? Show us your method, please! There are many ways to know things, he said. Even if there are billions of ways of knowing things, all of them must ultimately pass the scientific method muster; verifiability, and reproducibility. All roads lead to the scientific method. Religion defends error. Science corrects error. It may well be that the galaxy is indeed full of life whose blood types match our own. Some day we may find out for sure - using science.