Editing 164: Playing Devil's Advocate to Win

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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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{{w|Global warming}} is the rise of the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans since the late 19th century and its projected continuation. More than 97% of scientists are sure that it's caused by an increase in greenhouse gases caused by humanity's industrialization and activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. Losses of human food security and habitat; melting of glaciers leading to a rise in sea temperatures; and more frequent heat waves, droughts, and species extinctions are just some of the many likely effects of global warming.
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The phrase “I believe in science” may be one of the most ridiculous things a person can say in this age of information
  
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Yet, despite the unequivocal nature of {{rw|climate_change|climate change}}, it's a hot-button political topic in the United States, with many {{rw|conservatives}} denying its existence, arguing that it has natural causes, or claiming that global warming could be a good thing. Liberals counter by saying that conservatives are claiming these things because they're in bed with the oil companies, and by denying the existence of global warming, they're saved from having to do anything about it. It's such a controversial topic in the U.S. that, in this comic, [[Cueball]] says he's decided to keep his mouth shut about the whole thing. He has withdrawn from the debate because it doesn't ''matter'' if he wins the debate or not — science doesn't care about who got the last word. If humanity reaches the tipping point and one day can't do anything to stop global warming, Cueball will find it interesting to watch exactly what happens. And if it turns out that the scientists are wrong, he won't feel embarrassed that he's been making a big deal about it this whole time.
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Let me explain.
  
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In the title text, he touches on the political side of global warming, saying that there are many well-meaning conservatives out here who honestly believe that global warming doesn't happen, and that liberals only bring it up to have a moral issue to attack conservatives with.
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What this statement has come to mean is: “I believe in the current scientific consensus.” or “I trust the scientific results in this study posted right below” it also implies that “anyone who disagrees with me is anti-science, and I have no reason to listen to them” Not often do we realize that a person can find scientific evidence to back up any belief they have about the world.
  
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This was the first direct reference to global warming in xkcd, but since then, climate change, with an emphasis on global warming, has become a [[:Category:Climate change|recurring theme]] in xkcd. Seems Randall would no longer like to be on this ride, especially with the comic [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]] released almost 10 years after this one.
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There was once a scientific consensus that smoking was good for you. Not just benign… but a healthy life choice.
  
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==Transcript==
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Science once told us it would be a good idea to spray DDT directly on the skin of people - including children. Enter polio.
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:[Cueball is standing under a large amount of text said in one go.]
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:Cueball: Yes, from the evidence it looks pretty likely to me that we're causing global warming on a horrific scale. But with science you don't need to argue. It doesn't matter who wins the debate — it's about reality. By just waiting a little longer, we'll get to <u>see</u> who was right. It feels unethical but I find myself wanting to keep quiet about the science just to know for sure. As terrible as it sounds, the state of the world isn't really my responsibility. I'm just thrilled to get to watch. If the scientists are right — and if we keep people from understanding just a little longer — we'll enjoy quite a ride. And pragmatically, on the outside chance that they're all wrong, I get saved the embarrassment of having spoken up.
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Science told us Vioxx (a drug for arthritis) was safe and it ended up causing 140,000 heart attacks and killing about 50,000 people.
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Why do I bring up these instances? To show that, unless science is your religion, science is not meant to be a belief system. Science is meant to be a process. The minute you “believe” in science is the minute you give away your critical thinking skills because a study tells you how to think. True scientists do not “believe” in scientific results so much as they believe in the process. They have the understanding that science is always changing. We will never “arrive” to a place and time where we know all there is to know. As a science major in college I learned that doing science often leaves us with more questions than answers.
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Science is meant to be questioned, not blindly believed in. In the words of Richard Feynman,
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“I’d rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.”
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The final issue I have with this statement is that most science has been bought by our capitalistic and reductionist culture. We only study the things that can make us money and only those with money can fund the science that they “believe” in. We study what a drug or supplement does to one part of our body without looking at how it affects the whole person long term.
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An example of this would be how there is a lack of science on the physiological, normal birth process because midwives don’t have the money to fund it. But when you’re trying to sell pitocin, fetal monitors and epidurals to hospitals suddenly there’s a lot of science to be done. There isn’t much research being done on the effects of a solid community surrounding a newly postpartum mother, but there's endless research on the drugs we can give for postpartum depression.
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“Science is too delicate for market forces to govern. It turns scientists into salesman” - Bret Weinstein
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Science is a tool that helps us understand the world. Science is not a religion. Science is not a weapon to use against people who don’t agree with you.
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If you read an article that cites a study, tells you how to think, and then asks no questions, take it with a grain of salt. If it seems to have everything about this subject figured out, move on. Filter any scientific result through your own personal devil's advocate. What does your gut tell you intuitively? How does it compare to the biological norm? How does it compare to what you know to be true in the world? And, for the love of all that is holy, when someone else has a different scientific opinion - engage in a conversation instead of a debate.”
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}

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