Science Versus Debate
I was at a cocktail party this week, and one woman announced she would obtain no more COVID vaccinations because "she and all her friends were getting diabetes from them." She is, of course, talking about the type of diabetes we often get late in life when we're not taking care of our bodies. I could cite a bunch of research to demonstrate my skepticism that the COVID vaccine causes diabetes... but it was a cocktail party. I feel guilty that I let it go, but I'm sure it would have turned into an annoying debate. Here's how the Mayo Clinic summarizes Type 2 Diabetes and its causes: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20351193
NY Times: Why Young Men Are Losing Faith in Science, 2025-Oct-3, by Adam Frank, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester:
After 30 years as a researcher, science communicator and university science teacher, I’ve been unsettled by what appears to be a growing skepticism of science among some of my Generation Z students, shaped in part by the different online cultures these young people have grown up in. While I cannot speak to what happens in every corner of the internet, I can speak to the one I’ve been invited into: the “manosphere” — a loose network of podcasts, YouTubers and other male influencers. I’ve appeared on some of the manosphere’s most popular shows, including Joe Rogan’s. I’ve watched how curiosity about science can slide into conspiracy-tinged mazes rooted in misinformation. And I believe the first step out of the maze for young men begins by reasserting to them the virtue of hard work — an often grueling but indispensable part of finding the right answers in science....
The manosphere can foster genuine interest in science among young listeners. But framing science as a debate to be won makes it easy to paint established scientists as opponents who must be overcome. And one of the easiest ways to win the debate is to suggest scientists are either self-satisfied elites who won’t consider new ideas or, worse, liars who know the truth and are hiding it. [Emphasis added.]
