“Guided by science” – This is one of the common phrase used by the leaders in many developed countries in support of many decisions relating to Coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week, the Canadian deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland said the re-opening process would be “guided by science”. New York Times reported ,”The British government frequently says it’s “guided by the science,” but the members of its scientific advisory group, SAGE, are a secret.” I saw an interview of John Kerry, former US secretary of state in CNN saying, “this pandemic says listen to the experts and believe in science.”
In contrary to these, Newstatesman.com reported, “One definition of an expert is someone who understands better than most how little he or she knows. The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has remarked that his scientific advisers preface every answer with “I don’t know”. The scientists know little about how infectious Covid-19 is, why it kills some people and barely bothers others, whether it returns to those whom it has already visited, whether and how it will mutate, or the best way to treat it. They are desperately trying to work out the best way to handle it, but it is like navigating in a snowstorm when every instrument is faulty.”
You can see the dichotomy in what people believe about science and its impact on Coronavirus. Therefore is it wise to be guided only by science and experts and believe as though it is the only hope in this crisis?
Every country is religiously looking at the data, charts and graphs to see when the relief will come. Though it is important that we need to look at these informations and take crucial decisions, there is a danger that people may start seeing science as their saviour after this crisis. But it is worth to remember, it was not the CEO’s, billionaires, large scientific corporations like Nasa, SpaceX or tech giants like Apple and Microsoft who saved us thus far. It was the janitors, nurses, grocery and food workers, delivery men and women who kept the country going and helped in the reduction of the infection. Let’s not give more credit to science than it actually deserves. It is the simple act of kindness, resolve, love and faith from ordinary people that keeps the world going during this pandemic.
Science is always “evolving” and there is always a “better” science to prove the science we now know is wrong. There are many instances in history when science failed to save people from a crisis. Also science is only as good as the people responsible for implementing it. The moral corruption of human mind means there is always a risk of science being the cause of a crisis. Phillip Franklin, White Star Line vice-president said in 1912, “There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable and nothing but inconvenience will be suffered by the passengers.” These are words that have gone down in history, for all the wrong reasons. The ship sank within three hours because of the height of its bulkheads, the upright partitions positioned within the hull to stop any breaches from flooding the rest of the ship. A University of California engineering professor speaking on campus to memorialise the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Abolhassan Astaneh said his five-year study of the collapse of the Twin Towers revealed that a better design likely would have prevented many of the nearly 3,000 deaths that day.
I am not saying science is wrong. I have been greatly benefitted by science and medicine. My father is a doctor and in fact I would not be alive without science as I was saved by medical professionals several times during my childhood. Even in the bible, God used a form of medicine to heal King Hezekiah when he was in his death bed. So science by itself is not bad. But what I am saying is beware of putting your hope only on science in this crisis.
Anything that takes the place of the creator God is wrong. In fact it is totally dangerous as the bible says, He is a jealous God and He never shares his glory with anyone! Have we forgotten that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This means when we put God first He will give wisdom to crack this deadly disease. But if we keep on neglecting God and reject His word, we will be only chasing the wind.
Job 5 says:
“But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. He provides rain for the earth; he sends water on the countryside. The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away. Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night.”
There is a stark warning in Isaiah 47 which was written for such a time as this.
“Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you.”
Are we still very blinded to believe that science can be our saviour and can give us answers for all our problems? If science can save us, God would have sent a scientist to the earth. But there is a reason why he sent a Saviour. We cannot be solely guided by science. Science cannot save us fully from this crisis. Every nation should be guided by the Saviour while we work on science to find an answer. We need to put God first and give him the rightful place. We need to bring back the Word of God in our schools, work places, communities and homes. We need to start attending churches and let God be God of our nation. Only then the solution will come.
Wars were never fought with data and charts in the ancient days. People used courage, love, hope, resolve and faith to win some of the greatest battles. Napoleon never had access to google maps and smartphones yet he conquered more territories than any other modern day leader. David never carried out a “risk analysis” and “feasibility study” before taking on Goliath. It was the zeal for God that engaged him in the battle and it was his faith that gave him the victory. If the people of Israel were guided only by science in those days they would have been obliterated by the Philistines long back. If disciples were guided only by the science they would not have accepted the call of Christ on the shores of Galilee as the economic projections of following Christ would have been bad. If Paul was guided only by science the world would not have seen the benefit the Christians brought into this world since the first century and this world would have been a darker place.
Therefore science is not a mantra that we can hold onto in this crisis. There are many other things in this world equally important than science. If there is one thing we can learn from this lockdown, it is we need to start appreciating simple things in life rather than running on a “treadmill” to find solutions to all problems forgetting the simple things in life. Spending time with your family, hugging your loved ones, going for a walk, meeting your friend for a coffee, enjoying the sunset with your spouse, taking your kids for the school etc are more beautiful than the busy life we were living before the lockdown. More importantly the words of Moses to Israelites in Deuteronomy 8 still applies to this generation. Moses said, “Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up – make sure you don’t become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God”. We cannot forget God and keep running in this “treadmill” called “chasing after the knowledge”. It is God who gives us wisdom. It is God who guides us into solutions. King David said, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” When we put God first in our lives, God can use anything or anyone to bring a solution to this crisis. God can use a donkey or a scientist to reveal the solution to bring us out of this crisis. So let us not be guided by science alone but let us fix our eyes on the Saviour and get ready to win this battle.
That was a very meaningful article (I chose to call it a devotion) during this time of crisis. There’s so much of truth and warning hidden in these lines. Thanks Davidson.
I thank God for the wisdom god had blessed you with in seeking the savior.
Love and prayers,
Thanks Annan.