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Confusion about Science and Faith Can Have Fatal Consequences
Trump’s quest for a COVID-19 cure uses neither science nor faith.
Faith that ignores scientific inquiry is superstition.
Scientific inquiry that ignores faith is scientific inquiry.
Disclaimer: I’m neither a scientist nor a medical professional nor a mathematician nor a social scientist. I believe that any discussion (science, politics, religion, etc.) is productive only when the participants use logic and facts in their responses. My goal here (and elsewhere on Medium) is to point out problems that occur when logic and factual data are ignored.
“I’m a social scientist.”
When asked by a CNN reporter how he is qualified to assess the effectiveness of an experimental drug for treating COVID-19, President Trump’s Economic Adviser Peter Navaro replied
My qualifications in terms of looking at the science is that I’m a social scientist. I have a PhD, and I understand how to read statistical studies, whether it’s in medicine, the law, economics or whatever.
Navarro is not wrong in a way — he is probably qualified to read a professional article about medical (or other) research and understand how the…
