Podcasts Technology Astral Codex Ten Podcast The Phrase "No Evidence" Is A Red Flag For Bad Science Communication

The Phrase "No Evidence" Is A Red Flag For Bad Science Communication

Published: Dec. 18, 2021, 9:55 a.m.

b'

https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/the-phrase-no-evidence-is-a-red-flag

\\xa0

https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/the-phrase-no-evidence-is-a-red-flag

Related to: Doctor, There Are Two Types Of No Evidence; A Failure, But Not Of Prediction.

I.
Click to enlarge

Every single one of these statements that had \\u201cno evidence\\u201d is currently considered true or at least pretty plausible.

In an extremely nitpicky sense, these headlines are accurate. Officials were simply describing the then-current state of knowledge. In medicine, anecdotes or hunches aren\\u2019t considered \\u201creal\\u201d evidence. So if there hasn\\u2019t been a study showing something, then there\\u2019s \\u201cno evidence\\u201d. In early 2020, there hadn\\u2019t yet been a study proving that COVID could be airborne, so there was \\u201cno evidence\\u201d for it.

On the other hand, here is a recent headline: No Evidence That 45,000 People Died Of Vaccine-Related Complications. Here\\u2019s another: No Evidence Vaccines Cause Miscarriage. I don\\u2019t think the scientists and journalists involved in these stories meant to shrug and say that no study has ever been done so we can\\u2019t be sure either way. I think they meant to express strong confidence these things are false.

'