My father was a brickmason. As a teenager, I spent many summer days working as his assistant. I despised almost every moment—the heat, the drudgery, and my father’s company. My attitude was much like Mark Twain's, who wrote, “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.” Looking back, I am ashamed of my adolescent disrespect for his hard work, skill, and meticulous attention to detail. One incident stands out vividly. He and his crew had just completed the hearth and chimney for an imposing multi-story home. A critical error in the blueprints caused the hearth to be misaligned by several inches, a minor flaw that compromised the living room’s aesthetic balance. The homeowners were adamant that this mistake be corrected. Unfortunately, moving the entire house would have been far easier than relocating the chimney. The only solutio...
The struggle between reason and superstition has raged for centuries. Since the Age of Enlightenment, the proponents of science have mainly carried the day. The byproduct of these victories is a world replete with material abundance, technological wonders, and healthy children. Unfortunately, the rise of political regimes promoting misinformation and quackery presents a unique threat to the public good. As experts in healthcare and guardians of patient well-being, physicians have a crucial role in combating this dangerous trend. Nearly three decades ago, astronomer Carl Sagan published The Demon-Haunted World , a book dedicated to educating the public about the scientific method and the importance of critical thinking. In general, Sagan was hopeful that science would prevail by serving as a “candle in the dark.” Despite his optimism, a sense of dread permeated his writing. He took note of the explosive growth of the Internet in the 1990s and observed that pre-millennial America was rip...