It’s been a tough year for science. The American Statistical Association issued a statement scolding1 scientists for misusing statistical analysis. Scientists continued to fight over an evaluation of 100 psychological studies,2 most of which could not be reproduced. Critics have cast doubt3 on a widely believed psychological theory of human willpower.
So yes, science is fallible. Scientists are only human and science is not a synonym for truth. It’s a bumpy, meandering road that heads in that general direction.
That makes skepticism good, up to a point. Beyond that point lie nonsense and superstition. The earth really is round.4