As I wrote in December 2019, “Think Scientifically” was one of my five key takeaways from 2019. Of late, it has become increasingly obvious to me that there is great value in scientific thinking — and, not doing so is unusually dangerous.

To think scientifically, I believe, is to think independently, to be grounded in facts and free of preconceived notions. Scientific thinking seeks truth, not opinions. It welcomes different ideas, new ideas. It also encompasses the willingness to acknowledge that “I can be wrong.”

Scientific thinking is unusually powerful. It is what enabled us to fly to outer space and to dive into the deep ocean. It allows us to live longer. It gives us an increasingly rich life experience. It is a key driver that propels a person, a country, and a civilization forward.

Not thinking scientifically, however, is insidiously dangerous. In that case, a person would believe strongly that he is thinking hard, doing a lot of work, driving to sensible conclusions and making great decisions, while being totally unaware that his work is littered with preconceived notions and his conclusions are grounded in preexisting opinions. Mistakes are thus made faster and deeper — and the person has no idea of what has happened to him!

Many well-regarded newspapers are increasing reporting “opinions” (what they want you to know about the world) rather than “facts” (what has actually happened in the world). More and more decisions are grounded not in facts but in some obsolete, irrelevant or biased opinions. Conspiracy theories, like no other time in our lives, are prevalent across various media types. I am deeply concerned by what is going on, because it appears to me a growing section of the society has decisively abandoned “scientific thinking” by conflating facts and opinions as one.

If you are unsure about whether you are thinking scientifically or not, I would suggest a simple tactic: talk to more people, especially those of a different background than yours. If others have a different idea, please defer your judgement — others are not your enemy. After all, framing “others” as the “enemy” is a strategy that cult leaders use to cut their followers from the broader society and to keep them loyal to some extremist ideologies. Nevertheless, talking to others sounds simple but not many people can do it. Staying in one’s own echo chamber cannot be more comfortable. Alas!

Ultimately, I believe it is all about “more facts, fewer opinions.” To quote what I wrote in December last year:

“To think scientifically means to develop thoughts on a foundation of objective facts rather than a foundation of subjective feelings and unfounded biases. Let facts lead us to conclusions, not the other way around. Unfortunately, people often fall in love with an idea first then find data to support that idea.”

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