Yesterday morning, knitting happily on the tram while travelling to work, I happened to look out the window and noticed a truck driving past. It told me not to drink science, because I don’t know where it’s been. This, quite frankly, horrified me. And what disappointed me even more is that the brand in question was Phoenix Organic Drinks. Phoenix are a New Zealand company who make tasty, tasty beverages that I like a lot, and now I can’t drink them because their marketing people are happily, blatantly promoting ignorance and stupidity. It’s almost as if Phoenix have taken a leaf from Barbie’s book and proclaimed, “Math is hard! Let’s go shopping!” And I say all this as a public servant who votes Green, studied fine art, has been vegetarian for over ten years, makes her own soap, and whose pantry contains vast amounts of brand-free dried legumes and 5kg cotton bags of rice.
1 : the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding
2 a : a department of systematized knowledge as an object of study [the science of theology] b : something (as a sport or technique) that may be studied or learned like systematized knowledge [have it down to a science]
3 a : knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method b : such knowledge or such a system of knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena : natural science
4 : a system or method reconciling practical ends with scientific laws [cooking is both a science and an art]
As noted in the dictionary definition above, science is not something separate from the natural world. It is a study of the natural world. Science is not merely random equations, chemicals and words that are hard to spell. It is a continual system of knowledge and understanding. I would never buy a mass-produced food item from a company that is proud of not having a science department. I want to know that the products I consume have been formulated, tested and proven not to make me sick, regardless of them being made from natural or synthesised ingredients. Just because something is natural, doesn’t mean it won’t hurt me. Like anthrax. Or arsenic. Or any number of ingredients or components of common ‘natural’ items. Hell, even regular issue Coca-Cola is made of all-natural products in Australia. We even still make it with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Doesn’t mean it’s good for me. And you know what I do when I don’t know what something is, what a word means or how to spell an ingredient? I look it up. Simple as that. I’m sick to death of the anti-science ignorance that proponents of ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ lifestyles banter about. Science is not the enemy, and until you learn that I won’t be your friend. Or buy your things.
I wanted to add, I lifted these images off the Phoenix website because I think it’s important in this instance to see a physical representation of what I’m criticising. But I’m hosting them here as I’m not mean enough to hotlink.
