Scientific evidence is nice, but it has limits which make anecdotal evidence necessary in many circumstances.
- There are some things, like history, which science can't help on. Did Lincoln write the gettysburg address on a train on the back of an envelope? All we can do is collect the testimony for and against the position and make a judgment call.
- There are many things that science doesn't bother to explore. Science can be expensive, and without potential profit or a willing grantor, stuff just doesn't get studied.
- Obtaining science is expensive. Journals typically only give the abstract for free. Most of us aren't going to spend the money and time to really keep up on science. Rather, some people read about science in the popular media or watch some youtube clips and think they're all scientifical. They're not.
If I'm at the gym and see someone in great shape and ask what they eat and what exercises they do, and their answers are in the same ballpark as others I've asked, I don't need scientific studies to tell me that if I do the same things I'll probably improve. Yeah, there's a chance that I happened to talk to several people with really bad habits but who have great genetics and succeed in spite of their bad habits. I'm willing to take that chance.
- There are some things, like history, which science can't help on. Did Lincoln write the gettysburg address on a train on the back of an envelope? All we can do is collect the testimony for and against the position and make a judgment call.
- There are many things that science doesn't bother to explore. Science can be expensive, and without potential profit or a willing grantor, stuff just doesn't get studied.
- Obtaining science is expensive. Journals typically only give the abstract for free. Most of us aren't going to spend the money and time to really keep up on science. Rather, some people read about science in the popular media or watch some youtube clips and think they're all scientifical. They're not.
If I'm at the gym and see someone in great shape and ask what they eat and what exercises they do, and their answers are in the same ballpark as others I've asked, I don't need scientific studies to tell me that if I do the same things I'll probably improve. Yeah, there's a chance that I happened to talk to several people with really bad habits but who have great genetics and succeed in spite of their bad habits. I'm willing to take that chance.
