The most important scientific concept is that an assertion is often an empirical question, settled by collecting evidence. The plural of anecdote is not data, and the plural of opinion is not facts. Quality, peer-reviewed scientific evidence accumulates into knowledge. People's stories are stories, and fiction keeps us going. But science should settle policy.
To arrive at the edge of the world's knowledge, seek out the most complex and sophisticated minds,
put them in a room together, and have them ask each other the questions they are asking themselves.