Impact of science

{{sciencenav}}
{{expand}}
{{cquote|In very many ways I am far richer than King Henry VIII. I own two [[car]]s, I have air conditioning and clean running [[water]], I can play Mickey Mouse on an HDTV, and with Simvastatin will likely live twice as long as he did. This doesn't even consider the fact that I have In n Out, sushi, ice cream, Coca Cola, and thousands of things on a daily basis he would have considered to be in the realm of kings.<ref>[http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1188558 "The contract between science and society, plus a possible new Renaissance". Ars OpenForum. 10 December 2012. Web forum. 19 May 2014.]</ref>|||"OrangeCream"}}

Ultimately, the most important thing about science is what it can do for the human species. The [[scientific method]] isn't arbitrary; it's the best way we've found to investigate the natural world and expand our knowledge of it.

==Cool stuff you can thank science for==
*The [[Industrial Revolution]]
*Factories and mass production
*[[Norman Borlaug]], [[GMO]]s and the Green Revolution
*Increased longevity<ref>[http://www.nia.nih.gov/research/publication/global-health-and-aging/living-longer National Institute on Aging: Living Longer]</ref> due to:
**The [[Germ_theory|discovery of germs]]
**The invention of [[vaccination]]
**Antibiotics
**Water disinfection
**[[Evidence-based medicine|Epidemiologic research]] that discovers what activities/exposures cause disease (e.g. [[cigarette]]s/[[asbestos]] and [[cancer]])
*Hearing aids
*Computers
*[[Internet|Instant electronic access to the collected wisdom (and folly) of humanity]]
*A real-life ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy|Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' in the palm of your hand<ref>[https://xkcd.com/548/ Kindle], [[xkcd]].</ref>
*Google Maps and Street View
*Instant text, audio, and video communication worldwide
*Electronic communication in outer space
*Audio and video reproduction (movies, photographs, audio recordings, smartphones, MP3 players, TVs, movie theaters, radios, cameras)
*Faster forms of transportation, such as motor vehicles, trains, and aircraft
*Spacecraft and satellites
*Light bulbs and flashlights
*''Any'' transport faster than a horse

==Why anti-science and pseudoscience matter==
{{cquote|Science is like an inoculation against [[charlatan]]s who would have you believe whatever it is they tell you.|||[[Neil deGrasse Tyson]]<ref>http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/read/quotes-by-neil-degrasse-tyson/pseudoscience-quotes</ref>}}
Not only do [[anti-science]], [[pseudoscience]], and [[anti-intellectualism]] result in opportunity costs (work that could have been spent helping advance science was instead spent promoting unworkable ideas), but can and have caused [[death]] and suffering on a large scale.

===Reducing understanding of science===
The harm done by anti-science movements goes beyond the specific sciences with which they are mainly concerned. By undermining the [[scientific method]], or seeking to "amend" it so that a particular ideology is [[shoehorn]]ed into the definition of science, such movements threaten to disrupt the public's understanding that systematic logical investigation, also called "[[science]]", is the best system for gaining knowledge.<ref name=Makgoba>{{cite journal|author=Makgoba MW|title=Politics, the media and science in HIV/AIDS: the peril of pseudoscience|journal=Vaccine (journal)|volume=20|issue=15|pages=1899–904|date=May 2002|pmid=11983241}}</ref> Take, for example, the results of a 2005 Gallup poll about the public's beliefs in [[paranormal]] activity.<ref>[http://www.gallup.com/poll/19558/Paranormal-Beliefs-Come-SuperNaturally-Some.aspx Lyons, Linda. "Paranormal Beliefs Come (Super)Naturally to Some." Gallup, Inc. 01 November 2005. Web. 17 May 2014.].</ref> Among other things, this poll found that about a quarter of the people surveyed in the [[U.S.]], [[Canada]], and [[U.K.]] believed that the [[Astrology|positions of stars and planets]] have an effect on their lives and [[Spiritualism|communication with the dead]] was possible.  Watering down the scientific method (as some anti-science advocates attempt to do) is unlikely to improve those figures.

===Reducing trust in science===
Watering down or corrupting the scientific method and reducing public trust in science can only reduce science's ability to improve people's lives. When researching [[cancer]], concluding that [[Goddidit]] contributes nothing to the quest for a cure.

Furthermore, corrupting the scientific method has the potential to damage public trust in [[Empiricism|empirical findings]]. If people are led to believe that science is nothing more than another agenda, on the same footing as any belief system, will they react if scientists find that a factory near their homes is releasing dangerous chemicals into the environment? Why should they care? After all, the only people concerned are "scientists"!

===Abusing trust in science===
Alternately, pushers of [[woo]] can use the credibility of science to push their own ideas.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hansson|first=Sven Ove|title=Science and Pseudo-Science, Section 1: The purpose of demarcations|url=http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pseudo-science/#PurDem|work=Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy|publisher=Stanford University|accessdate=April 16, 2011|date=September 3, 2008}}</ref> The reason that [[Peer_review#First_as_tragedy:_the_creation_science_.22mainstream.22|creationist sham peer review journals]] exist is that having your paper "published" in a "peer reviewed" journal makes it seem more authoritative, which makes it easier to convince people that your ideas are right, or at least not [[insane]]. For example, pseudoscience has helped the pushing of [[creationism]] into [[public school]] classrooms, even over the scientific theory of [[evolution]].

===Hurting science education===
Scientific literacy allows distinguishing science, such as [[astronomy]], from pseudoscience, such as [[astrology]]. Science education and literacy is key to scientific research, understanding the effect of scientific research on government policy and on life, and in adapting to the world. Promotion of pseudoscience can take away funds from science programs or just generally misinform students about science.

At the same time, overly assertive science education, especially popsci journalism, may also undermine science in what has become known as the "easiness effect."

===Lack of medical treatment===
Consider Jane. Jane fervently believes that [[homeopathy]] is effective and can treat her illness. Instead of going to one of those nasty [[allopathic]] doctors, she gets a full array of homeopathic treatments. Her condition deteriorates, and she dies. Jane's life could possibly have been saved, and all of the work that she could have done to improve humanity's fate could have occurred. Because of pseudoscience, she suffers ''and'' humanity suffers.

Pseudosciences such as homeopathy are [[Crank magnetism|magnets]] for charlatans. Creating patient confidence in pseudoscience and pseudomedicine makes it less likely that good treatment will actually be given.<ref name=Haven>{{cite news|url=http://www.ncahf.org/pp/homeop.html#haven|author=The National Council Against Health Fraud|title=NCAHF Position Paper on Homeopathy|year=1994}}</ref>

===HIV/AIDS===
Many early policymakers discounted scientific evidence that [[HIV]] causes AIDS, and consequently failed to provide appropriate treatment to those in need. This [[HIV denial]] caused hundreds of thousands to die; in [[South Africa]] alone, 300,000 people died.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/26/aids-south-africa Boseley, Sarah. "Mbeki Aids denial 'caused 300,000 deaths'." Guardian News and Media Limited. 26 November 2008. Web. 17 May 2014.]</ref><ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/18/anti-science-lethal-simon-jenkins Holmes, Alexander. "Anti-science can be a lethal game." Guardian News and Media Limited. 18 January 2010. Web. 17 May 2014.]</ref> Disinformation about HIV and AIDS in African (and worldwide) culture continues to exist today,<ref>[http://www.unicef.org/media/media_19205.html "UN study says youth are uninformed about HIV/AIDS." UNICEF. 2 July 2002. Web. 20 May 2014.]</ref> leading to further problems with reducing the spread of HIV through use of [[condom]]s and to discrimination against AIDS victims.<ref>[http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-stigma-and-discrimination.htm "HIV & AIDS Stigma and Discrimination." AVERT. ''n.d.'' Web. 20 May 2014.]</ref><ref name=Makgoba />

==See also==
*[[Anti-science]]
*[[Pseudoscience]]
*[[Demarcation problem]]

==External links==
*[http://www.gongol.com/research/economics/costsofpseudoscience/ The Economic Costs of Pseudoscience]

==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}

[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Technology]]

Categories: Science, Technology