Following science does not mean following it blindly

When making a decision about your well-being, consult science but choose wisely how you act.

It’s the rule for dealing with two of the world’s great crises: the COVID-19 epidemic and the climate, even as some refuse the remedies science suggests — whether a reduction of pollutants or a vaccine or wearing a mask.

I need to be clear about the rule, however. Following science does not mean following it blindly but applying its principles to accepting anything: Test what science says by looking at the facts, and whether the claims make sense to you. Science is based on experiments, testing, retesting, and then stating claims — and testing these again over time.

The great example of how science impacts us is the so-called Copernican revolution. Up until his theory, people believed the earth was the center of the universe. But in the 16th century, the Polish astronomer Copernicus said the earth revolved around the sun. Later Galileo using a telescope confirmed the theory that the earth and other planets revolved around the sun. In this case, science was right.

Traditionally, science grows through new discoveries, some adding on to existing theories but others posing new ones. This is called the scientific method. Occasionally there are revolutionary discoveries that bring about a more profound change. These have been called paradigm shifts, a major change in how the universe and ourselves are viewed. One of these was the Copernican revolution.

Of course, science has limits. It may begin to show us how the universe began but it does not tell us why. Why the universe exists is a question for religion and philosophy. This does not mean science and religion must conflict. In some cases, each may describe the beginning of the cosmos in different, but not necessarily contrary, ways.

The debate over what science tells us and whether it is to be believed continues today whether over such issues as climate change or one currently waged about over the Covid virus and how we deal with it.

While there is some resistance to the Covid vaccines mostly for political or personal reasons, science is showing the vaccines are effective and seem to have no grave health-related results.

A recent CNN analysis of Center for Disease Control and Prevention data showed that 99.99 percent of vaccinated people have not been admitted to hospitals for Covid. The rule when it comes to your health is to consult doctors.

According to the American Medical Association, over 90 percent or more of doctors have taken the vaccine themselves.

Ethically speaking, protecting yourself against getting Covid by taking the vaccine protects not only you but others.

I would argue that personal freedom requires social responsibility as well. It’s an updated version of the Golden Rule: protect yourself and protect others (or love your neighbor as yourself).

The government may not mandate wearing a mask or getting the vaccine, but that does not absolve you from making the decision yourself. How and what you decide impacts not only yourself but those you love and even strangers with whom you come into contact.

Ethically, it’s a decision about having the freedom to decide but also about to whom or what you are responsible. The life you save may not only be your own but those you love and strangers you have never met.