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Michael Specter: The danger of science denial

Vaccine-autism claims, "Frankenfood" bans, the herbal cure craze: All point to the public's growing fear (and, often, outright denial) of science and reason, says Michael Specter. He warns the trend spells disaster for human progress.

Specter has been a writer for the New Yorker for more than a decade; before that, he was a science writer and then the Moscow bureau chief for the New York Times. He writes about science and politics for the New Yorker, with a fascinating sideline in biographical profiles.
"Denialism is a virus and viruses are contagious."
Michael Specter

Why Playing Doctor Can be a Dangerous Game

Many of us don't think twice about ditching our medicines before the prescriptions run out. We dislike the side effects, we feel better, we don't feel better, we can't afford the pills, we simply forget. But the risks of stopping suddenly are real. And many doctors don't understand these risks any better than we do. "How to go off medicines isn't routinely studied and remains more of an art than a science," says Jack E. Fincham, PhD, a pharmacy professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy. Bottom line - Feeling better does not mean that all the bacteria have been killed or that an infection has been eradicated. Partially treated, strep can affect the heart and kidneys, for instance. Stopping too soon may also contribute to the rising problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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