The First Step to Balancing Science: Choose the Color

Science is a two-sided street. There is the true and the false, the ‘science’ and the ‘skeptic.’ The world is always black and white or sometimes gray. The question is: should science writing be black and white or gray?

As Elie Wiesel said, “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” When science writers join the gray, are they being silent in Wiesel’s quote? When they cover both sides of the story, are they encouraging skeptics to continue? Is it ethical to continue to support skeptics, the enemy of the scientist?

As Ayn Rand said, “There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.” Science is not always right, but a science writer should only cover ‘true’ science. A skeptic does not have any scientific evidence to support their claims, only hope. As much as science writing should be balanced, the results of an experiment are not balanced. Science writers can only report the results.