I don’t think I’ve heard a phrase more abused than “follow the science.” As COVID-19 and its related policies ravage the world, many disillusioned people give the unsolicited advice to “follow the science.” I ignore the advice because it’s rooted in ignorance.
“Follow the science” is a meaningless phrase. It is meaningless because science is descriptive, not prescriptive. Science can tell you that smoking cigarettes has negative effects on your cardiovascular health. Science cannot tell you that you should not smoke. The decision to smoke or not to smoke requires a value judgment. How much do you value your physical health? How much do you value taking a drag off of a cigarette? How bad does it feel to stop smoking? What is your current physical health? How old are you? Do you enjoy smoking with your friends? What is your occupation? How much money do you make? Two people could have perfect agreement with the scientific conclusion that smoking is bad for your health. Those same two people could act rationally with this information and reach two different courses of action. One to smoke, the other to abstain.
It is important to realize that a scientific conclusion does not directly yield a policy recommendation. Science does not know your values and therefore cannot tell you how to act. Science does not tell you to wear a mask–politicians do.
Many people are not aware that an assumption of values must take place in order for a scientific conclusion to take the form of a policy recommendation. Because of this misunderstanding, people tend to believe that if you disagree with a policy, you must necessarily deny the science that informed that policy. Sometimes this is the case, but not always. For example, two people can agree that global warming is man-made and poses a serious threat to mankind. From this information, one might make the conclusion that the government should create and enforce strict environmental regulations to drastically reduce the production of CO2. The other might conclude that these restrictions would harm the economy to a point that would create more of a disaster than the one trying to be avoided.
Remember, someone disagreeing with your politics doesn’t necessarily mean they disagree on the science. Keep this in mind before disparaging others who might not share your values. And please, don’t tell anyone to “follow the science.”
Thomas Rainey 