One of my friends, who has two PhD degrees in different fields of science, read with concern ‘Bad Science is Bad Policy’ by Charles Samek.
She, my friend, said that ‘this letter to the editor of a newspaper, I am assuming, is … interesting. unfortunately, even if the writer had concrete and correctly collected evidence to support any of the claims (his or his opponents), the typical reader of this wouldn’t be able to tell. People argue using anecdotes as evidence all the time. It drives me crazy; so I don’t read things like this, whenever I can help it.”
To the contrary, I do read with interest.
That been said it would be contrary to public policy if one calls a certain policy is bad or certain policies are bad. On the other hand, in order to well define bad science, there appears to be still a matter of the mainstream philosophy of science; yet, on what grounds does the latter depend? It relies on the sight of knowledge as justified, as well as on real faith; It, too, associates with the epistemology based on this sight dominates.
For example, as to the aforecited ‘Bad Science is Bad Policy’, I do also feel that as long as you can get along with yourself, with or without the modern gears that have been generated from the new technology, it will be fine.
For an incidence, I have some other friend,who majored in the field of computer science in the university about 40 years ago; however, in this P.C. internet era she still never owns a P.C., never gets herself online, never uses microwave oven; she does have a cellular phone though, she is still quite happy.
Whether you do like it or not, all these gears are now with us and will stay with us. Even if one avoids the new technology all together, one still will die one day, sooner or later.
Therefore one might, as well, now enjoys the convenience of fruits of those hard working inventors, engineers and then make Apple company etc. share-holders rich, hence more economic activities and prosperous society will, hopefully, take place, but not necessarily there will be happier people in the near future, regardless.
After all, perhaps bad science is not really bad policy in the reality; it appears to be merely up to people whoever uses or not the modern technology.
Bingh Tang
Mineola
