Give yourself the gift of Science this Christmas

When I was in school I liked science class.  Yes that makes me a nerd and I wear that badge proudly.  Many of my friends and classmates did not like science.  The things we learned were difficult and most people just did not see when they would use any of it.  None of them wanted to be scientists but I think there should be a scientist in all of us bubbling below the surface.

You do not need a science degree to behave like a scientist.  The most important thing about science is not all of the science, it is the process of discovery and anyone can do that.  The most important concept you learn in science class is actually very simple; it is the scientific method.  Simply put, the scientific method is that every theory must be tested against the facts.  If the facts don’t support the theory then the theory is wrong.

To behave like a scientist all you need to do is adhere to that basic principal.  When someone makes a claim test it against the facts.  If everyone understood this very simple concept the world would be a much different place.  We would quickly ignore so much nonsense.

Take the COVID restrictions for instance.  We were told the restrictions would slow the spread of the virus.  There was no proof of this so the statement is a theory.  Something people believed to be true based on their current understanding.  Unfortunately, when we test this theory, the facts show there was no noticeable difference.  If the restrictions had any effect it was too small to matter.  You don’t need to go any further than that.  You tested the hypothesis and it failed.  At this point you should feel free to ignore all the mindless bureaucrats and TV talking heads that tell you to cower at home behind a mask.

There are many definitions of science.  This is one that I like.  Science is the study of natural phenomena with the hope that the knowledge can be used to predict a future event or outcome.  So this gives us another way to test the science.  You can judge the veracity of the science by the accuracy of the predictions.  How many times have you heard that the North Pole should be ice free and New York under water?  Climate scientists have set multiple dates for this occurrence and every time it has failed to transpire.  Their theory fails to predict the outcome 100% of the time, therefore it is wrong.

The predictions are wrong because the science is wrong.  It is not more complicated than that.  Anyone who thinks like a scientist will recognize this immediately and stop listening to those charlatans.  We live in very uncertain times because people refused to think.  The only way out of this is to start thinking again.  More specifically the road to recovery will come when more people think like scientists.

Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts

Richard Feynman.