Читать книгу Reason: Book I - Bo Bennett - Страница 7

Too often, the public sees science and doctors as the same “thing.” They are not. Not by a long shot. Science is a method for separating fact from fiction. Doctors and therapists are trained in this method—whether they use it or not, or how well they use it, is up to them. We shouldn’t reject science because of bad doctors for the same reasons we shouldn’t reject education because of bad teachers.

This seems obvious, but why do so many have this “rejection instinct”? It has to do with how we learn by association. “Science” is an abstract concept that is not easy to grasp and impossible to visualize. People know what doctors are and they can be easily visualized (think lab coat). When a doctor says something wrong (or just stupid), it is often seen as a strike against science. This a what is known as a fallacy or an error with reasoning that is often a result of lazy thinking.

Scientists can loosely be put into two categories: practitioners and researchers. I say “loosely” because there are many practitioners who are also researchers, or practitioners who run a strict research-based practice. The scientific method is an integral part of any researcher’s daily life, whereas practitioners, such as medical doctors or therapists who treat patients or clients for a living can begin to incorporate personal experience, anecdote, and “gut feeling” into their practice. While this is not always a bad thing, this is an abandonment of the scientific process. An example is doctors in the 1950s who endorsed smoking not based on research but on other factors mostly surrounding personal biases and other reasons.

The bottom line is that science, as a methodology, cannot be judged by the behavior of doctors because there is often a large disconnect between the two. Some doctors have a strong understanding of the scientific method and are consistent with science-based medicine, practice, and research while others are not.

Trust science as a method, but approach any claims with a healthy dose of skepticism.