I had a very interesting conversation recently with a younger person who claimed that they "believed in Science, as they didn't believe in anything else". Age slows down the mental responses but I wish I could have made the following points (not because I don't value Science also but because lay people need reminding) at the time. The first is that Science has no role in 'magical thinking' (this is one reason why some mathematically-based studies, like Economics, are not really, in my view, the province of Science). The second is that Science deals in probabilities (and probability and risk are poorly understood issues by some scientists as well as the general public). This means that your scientific 'fact' might always (however, improbably) be wrong. This is a feature actually used to attack Science by people who want a world of absolutes. The third is that scientists are, by their training and predispositions(?) nit-pickers, so you can always find someone who takes a contrary view or places an emphasis elsewhere. Add in the fact that Science, as presented to the public, generally involves simplifications and you have a somewhat confusing mix!
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