I'm a big fan of science but only up to a point. One trend I've noticed in recent years is people un

I'm a big fan of science but only up to a point. One trend I've noticed in recent years is people unwilling to believe anything unless there's evidence derived from applying the scientific method for doing something. The easiest example is probably medicinal herbs. Ancient people said a thing was helpful. People say "there's no evidence for that" as if that settles it.

Anyway I've thought mor and more about this with regard to the debate about masks. I've become convinced about masks. One thing that's become clear is that virus exposure dosing (how many particles you get hit with) is important to determining how bad your sickness is. But beyond that, it just makes sense when you think about it.

Scott Alexander, a big proponent of science, kind of comes around to this view in a recent post on the evidence around masks, while noting that there are some key points of uncertainty.