In honor of Science Friday, I thought I would go out on a limb and suggest that perhaps we are a little too over-reliant on science in this country.
I recognize that somehow, due primarily to the stem cell research debate, science has become a partisan issue. Democrats are pro-science, Republicans are against it. This is ridiculous.
First, just let me say that I am all for stem cell research and medical research and even a lover of science.
Okay, good, we’ve gotten that out of the way. I’d now like to posit something that may require some of you to open your minds a touch.
The only thing real in life is our experience.
What does this mean? Let me give you an example. I’ve had the experience of having herbal remedies work. I’ve had the experience of being healed by a spiritual healer. These things are real. They happened. Can I replicate this experience in a laboratory setting and publish a study for a scientific journal? No. Does this make what happened any less real? No.
I’ve actually had people on this site tell me my experiences can’t be real, because there’s no scientific study that shows things like herbal remedies to be effective. Read that again. People have actually told me that what I experienced didn’t happen because there’s no scientific study to back it up.
This is crazy! “Miracles” happen every day in life. I’m sure we’ve all heard stories of things that happen that science/medicine can’t explain. And this seems to create all kind of ire among people on this site and other “progressive” sites.
About a year and a half ago, there was an article in Salon that lambasted Oprah Winfrey for talking about The Secret, a philosophy of life she subscribed to. The comments section was full of people saying how dangerous this was and livid that Oprah would talk about such things.
Here’s my question: Why does how someone else lives their life make you so angry? There has not been one documented case that shows The Secret has harmed anyone. Or that anyone has died from taking echinacea. On the other hand, however, hundreds of thousands have died from taking prescription drugs.
Progressive are supposed to be “pro-choice.” We constantly criticize the other side for being pro-life only up until the time of birth – then, you’re on your own. Yet many “pro-choice” progressives get incensed when someone chooses to lead their lives different from them. This even lead to this diary claiming that Oprah and Jenny McCarthy were killing babies because they wanted to take the common sense step of taking mercury out of vaccines! People were actually arguing that mercury isn’t a bad thing when you inject it into your body because there’s all kinds of bad stuff out there. (Does anyone remember the philosophy of two wrongs don’t make a right?)
I’m not saying medicine, science and even vaccines don’t have their place in society. They do. But when someone has an experience of having something else work for them, let them have their experience! Let them lead the life they choose to lead, as long as it’s not hurting anyone else.
Either you’re pro-choice or you’re not.