Journal Entry 1

Shahadat Rahman      

Professor Matyakubova

ENGL 21003

05, August, 2017

Journal Entry 1 Response

Is Science Really as Reliable as it Seems?

In his TED Talk, “Battling Bad Science,” Ben Goldacre attacks the misinformation and bias in the presentation of research that he believes plagues the scientific community. After reviewing Goldacre’s argument it was found that not only is it plausible, but it is true. Scientific research can take months — or even years — to complete. It’s natural for one to want their data to support their hypothesis; this idea would only be reinforced with big companies that rely on data to support their sales and advertisements. This would support the claims that sources of authority often skew data — such as remove negative trials — in order to make their products seem more favorable. Although this process seems logical, it’s still dangerous as it places a number of people at risk.

Although this practice is common, Goldacre introduces an interesting point as to the implications of these procedures. Goldacre states that this misinformation could affect the way doctors treat patients, as pharmaceutical companies unfairly compare their drug with the standard in such a way to make their drug seem more favorable. It places the patients in a precarious position and could have unprecedented effects on patient care. This problem should be rectified through proper legislation, possibly by having a third party observe and confirm the results of the research in order to ensure that data is not tampered with. Also, researchers should present all their data instead of solely the positive trials. If this problem is not resolved, not only does it affect patient care, but it calls into question the reliability of science.