TRUST IN THE SCIENCE

This graphic has made the rounds on social media for months:

It's a double lesson in "trust". 

First there's the obvious point being made about those who glibly lecture others to "trust the science". This phrase infuriates me these days because "science" always means whatever data supports the lecturer's stance on the topic of the day. 

"Trust the science" is a phrase that frequently drips with arrogance and self-righteousness. And, too often, profound ignorance. (I'm talking about real ignorance here - the sort that does not know how much it does not know.)

Personally, I try to remember that all "science" that I have access to is filtered through human beings (since I am not a scientist myself). And human beings are notorious for being easily influenced by agendas, as well as being bad at interpreting data.

Plus, science by its nature is constantly evolving: am I supposed to place 100% of my trust in today's science? How will I keep up in coming years with which hypotheses have suddenly fallen to the wayside as science marches on? Will the scientists of 2100 be laughing at the scientists of 2021 someday? 

I guess that's the point the graphic is trying to make. Asbestos was a "magic mineral" at one time. Heroin was used as a cough suppressant. Smoking was safe even for pregnant women. And DDT kept the flies away.

But here's the ironic second lesson the graphic teaches about trust: Don't trust social media. Three out of the four images are real, but the fourth is from a modern video game. 

Any guesses?

It's the expectant mother smoking cigarettes. The others are real. 

There are very few things we can put our full trust in these days. And neither "science" nor social media are on that list.

(P.S. I can't help but notice something all three of the real posters have in common: all three were products developed in the science lab as a solution to some problem but then rejected decades later because of unintended consequences. Personally, I would refrain from mocking folks like the "anti-vaxxers".)