Philosophy

Affirmations of Secular Humanism – #3

(This post is the third in a series discussing the affirmations of secular humanism. The introduction to the series can be found here, the first post here, the second here.)

We believe that scientific discovery and technology can contribute to the betterment of human life.

As he often did, perhaps Carl Sagan said it best:  “The method of science is tried and true. It is not perfect, it’s just the best we have. And to abandon it, with its skeptical protocols, is the pathway to a dark age.”  While we don’t hold science to be infallible, in the thousands of years since the Greeks discovered it, the scientific method has endured test after test without letting us down.  Still, however, the perception that science has failed us causes some mischief.

I recently tagged an article about the homeopathic “remedy” Zicam in which its makers were warned by the FDA about possible side effects, including permanent loss of smell.  Zicam is a perfect example of what happens when people feel “let down” by science.  To a largely scientifically illiterate population, it seems ridiculous that the “nerds in charge” haven’t come up with a cure for the common cold.  Rather than accept the difficult-to-understand explanation as to why, the average person prefers to look elsewhere.  The proprietors of homeopathic remedies are more than happy to fill this gap.  (Here’s a great skeptical introduction to homeopathy, if you’re not familiar.)  The Zicam phenomena powerfully combines word-of-mouth evidence with confirmation bias.  A not-entirely-misplaced distrust of the large pharmaceutical companies also drives interest.  Add to the mix a few people who “swear by” the product, and the cash registers start ringing – in the case of Zicam’s creators, they rang to the tune of $13.8 million in net income for 2008, according to the previously linked article.

Lost in all of the hype is the question, “Does Zicam actually work?”  To know for sure, we must first look to the time-tested methods of science.  When it comes to Zicam, the scientific answers seem to be yes, no, and maybe.  When we do find out for sure, we secular humanists are willing to bet that the results come from science and not elsewhere.

In terms of technology, it’s easy to slip into sort of a reverse confirmation bias.  We grumble about the distractions of cell phones, MP3 players, and other electronic devices.  We recoil at the horrors of nuclear weaponry.  We fear the spector of genetically engineered “franken-food.”  Just recently, I had a conversation with friend who declared that the internet was “making kids fat and stupid, because they don’t go outside and play sports like they used to.”

While we must be cautious not to take this argument to the opposite extreme, I think the sum total of technological advancement leans overwhelmingly to the good.  In this case, by “good” I mean our life expectancy and quality therein, the number of people we’re able to feed with smaller and smaller resources and effort, and in the sheer amount of information available to us, among other things.  And while the major conduit of today’s information, the internet, has given rise to such abominations as World Net Daily, we also have to recognize that FreeThought Fort Wayne probably wouldn’t exist without it.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed by an individual contributor to this blog are not necessarily shared by all members of FreeThought Fort Wayne. That is what makes this organization so interesting. Commenters on the FreeThought Fort Wayne blog are expected to abide by our comment policy. About the author:  Michael won't let anyone forget that he, as one of the founding members and now Vice President, came up with the name "FreeThought Fort Wayne." So there. You may contact him at vicepresident (at) freethoughtfortwayne (dot) org. Read more from this author

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