Certainly, we should maintain a "healthy skepticism," but we should focus that skepticism, not on the science, but rather on the claims of those who profess to be in possession of some special knowledge or authority outside of the formal scientific process. It means accepting the current scientific consensus that evolution through natural selection is the theory most likely to describe observed biological diversity at all levels from DNA to species, including human beings. It means accepting the current scientific consensus that humans are causing the climate to change through the emission of atmospheric carbon and other greenhouse gasses with results that will almost certainly range from bad to catastrophic. This means, in the year 2014, accepting the current scientific consensus that vaccines are well-understood, safe, and effective. Science works, and so we accept its findings - not because we have "faith" in them or because they are perfect - but because in an uncertain world, we wish to use the best available information to solve our problems, improve our condition, and understand our situation. All these are utterly inconsequential as refutations - not because scientists "know better" than the rest of us - but simply because they fail to convincingly meet the burden of proof. It cannot be undermined by dreaming up alternative hypotheses (unsupported by strong evidence), or by pointing to remaining uncertainties in the established theory. It cannot be dismissed on supernatural grounds or through suggestions of conspiracy. It cannot be denied because it is inconvenient, or because one dislikes the policy implications. Science cannot be refuted by appeals to intuition or personal experience, attacks on the character or motivations of scientists, accusations of institutional bias, or by "cherry-picking" a particular authority figure, alternative theory, or research study. Because science is based on such a strong foundation of evidence and analytical rigor, anyone who would challenge science, particularly well-established science such as that on evolution, climate, or vaccines (or, for that matter, gravitation and quantum mechanics), rightly faces a very high burden of proof, a burden which most science skeptics fail even to acknowledge, much less satisfy.
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