24 DEC 2013 by ideonexus
Science Should Settle Policy
The most important scientific concept is that an assertion is often an empirical question, settled by collecting evidence. The plural of anecdote is not data, and the plural of opinion is not facts. Quality peer-reviewed scientific evidence accumulates into knowledge. People’s stories are stories, and fiction keeps us going. But science should settle policy.Susan Fiske on the truth of assertions and opinions as being testable.