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Comment by nostalgiac | Hacker News Reader

> Science has led to many amazing things, but that doesn't mean it can realistically answer all questions.

Why? To me, that's what science IS. Providing the ability to answer any and all questions about our nature.

It's been a while since I learned the scientific method per se, but I remember something about "repeatable, controlled experiments". There are many, many questions in life just can't be studied in a repeatable, controlled experiment. Macroeconomic policy comes to mind. (You might reason, "okay, I'm going to make two Earths, and in the US on planet 1 I'm going to implement policy A, then in the US on planet 2 I'm going to implement policy B, then I'm going to travel back in time to the present day so we have identical initial conditions and implement the better policy.") Anything single-shot. Anything involving a counter-factual ("if Hitler had never been born, would there have been a second world war?"). Anything where confounding variables cannot be eliminated or controlled. I could continue but I think the point is probably clear. :)

That might be, but the affects of substances on the human body isn't one of those things.

Sorry but you are putting a lipstick on a pig.

I don't feel that strongly about artificial sweeteners. Just responding to this comment:

"that's what science IS. Providing the ability to answer any and all questions about our nature."

Well, all falsifiable questions...

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