Sir Fred Hoyle

In this day of information overload, it is difficult at times to sort out all the data. What is reliable information? What is fodder for tabloid headlines?

Initially, we do look at the person’s credentials. If Fred Hoyle says that disease originates in outer space or if Linus Pauling says that vitamin C will prevent the common cold, we may well be tempted to consider the source as authoritative. After all, Copernicus said that the Earth moved around a stationary sun - a very wrong-headed idea at the time, which later proved to be correct. The Germ theory of disease, pioneered by men such as Pasteur and Lister, was ridiculed by the contemporary medical and scientific community. So there are precedents for the ultimate truthfulness of seemingly wacky ideas.

However, what allowed some of these ideas to succeed was their credibility based on evidence. Galileo manufactured a telescope and saw evidence for a sun-centered theory in Jupiter’s satellites and Venus’ phases. When the death rate from childbirth and surgery declined markedly with the introduction of the medical practice of handwashing with carbolic acid, the germ theory received acceptance. Theories were backed up with proofs. It’s evidence, and not credentials, that establishes the truth of an idea.

For Reflection:

• Have you ever believed something on the basis of personal or institutional credentials rather than evidence? What was it? What lead you to initially believe this misinformation, then recognize it for what it was?
• What lessons did you learn from this experience?