The plural of anecdotes is not data

Just just because there are flaws in aircraft design that doesn't mean flying carpets exist.

Amazing things happen when you pull individual pieces of information together into larger linked datasets: meaning emerges, as you produce facts from figures.

Real science is all about critically appraising the evidence for somebody else's position.

The placebo effect is one of the most fascinating things in the whole of medicine. It's not just about taking a pill, and your performance and your pain getting better. It's about our beliefs and expectations. It's about the cultural meaning of a treatment.

Science has authority not because of white coats or titles, but because of precision and transparency: you explain your theory, set out your evidence, and reference the studies that support your case.

You cannot reason people out of a position that they did not reason themselves into.