A brilliant article published by ‘Green Med Info‘, posted by Larry Malerba, DO
Contrary to the beliefs of some, science is not an impenetrable body of settled fact that must be defended at all costs in the name of truth. When science becomes a worldview—a philosophy of life, a metaphysical framework that explains existence—it is no longer science; it is scientism.
Anti-Holistic Conspiracy or Reality?
Contrary to the beliefs of some, science is not an impenetrable body of settled fact that must be defended at all costs in the name of truth. It is not a means by which to determine truth or to achieve absolute certainty. Neither is science a worldview. When science becomes a worldview—a philosophy of life, a metaphysical framework that explains existence—it is no longer science; it is scientism.
A series of recent events have something peculiar in common. There was a call for Dr Oz to be removed from his academic post at Columbia University. Measles hype triggered a spate of legislative efforts across the country designed to restrict freedom of vaccine choice. The FDA decided to conduct a regulatory review of the status of homeopathic medicines. And most recently, a rather odd series of articles appeared in the press downplaying the significance of Chipotle’s move towards a GMO-free (genetically-modified organisms) menu.
The common thread is that these events were fueled by extremist elements within the scientific world whose intent is to control the narrative of what is and what is not considered to be acceptable or “real” science. These fundamentalist and corporate agitators, who act ostensibly in the name of science, can be likened to religious zealots who seek to impose their version of sacred scientific dogma upon the general public while at the same time prohibiting what they believe to be new heretical ideas from receiving a fair hearing.
On the surface, the culture wars appear to break down along partisan political lines, however, the field of holistic health can make for some strange bedfellows. Holistic therapies are generally embraced by more educated, liberal leaning persons who distrust Big Medicine on the grounds that medical treatment can be accompanied by a lot of side effects that place one’s health at risk. On the other hand, some on the right have also defended holistic medicine as a symbol of self-determination, especially libertarians who distrust Big Medicine as a threat to their personal freedoms.
Reflecting a similarly unusual mix, some vaccine critics are holistically oriented liberals, some are right-wingers who mistrust government interference, and not a small number represent those who have seen first-hand the dangers of vaccines. It is also true that vaccine critics are often lambasted by liberal elites who place their faith in what they perceive to be the science that supposedly supports vaccines, a position that runs contrary to their general suspicion regarding the motives of PhRMA and Big Medicine. In other words, there is no bright line that divides holistic supporters and detractors.
In contrast to Galileo’s era when Church authority had the final say on matters of “fact,” the modern culture wars often break down into shouting matches over who is on the side of science and who is not—as if to say that science is always on the side of truth while all others base their views on unreliable and/or superstitious sources of information. Galileo was sentenced to house arrest for the last years of his life on the grounds of religious heresy. One gets the distinct feeling that some in the scientific establishment would like to charge vaccine critics and holistic medicine supporters with scientific heresy.
Public internet forums are often dominated by partisan extremists who have little tolerance for opposing views. Self-appointed defenders of science, for example, paint GMO critics as anti-science, regardless of the fact that there is growing evidence that GMOs are creating a number of problems for the environment, the food chain, and the health of the populace. Defenders of science tend to get away with their partisan rhetoric largely because we live in a highly scientific age. Most people who haven’t stopped to give serious consideration to these issues tend to passively assimilate the general cultural zeitgeist, which is the belief that science is correct simply by virtue of the fact that it is science. All one has to do is make a statement, then claim that it is supported by science, and most people will tend to believe it. It’s a perk that comes with acquiescence to conventional cultural consensus.
The GOLDEN RULE 