The Reality-Based Community

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.

  • Home
  • About
  • BOTEC Analysis
You are here: Home / Health & Medicine / A Prayer for Those Who Debate E-Cigarettes

A Prayer for Those Who Debate E-Cigarettes

March 26, 2014 By Keith Humphreys @KeithNHumphreys

I posted the other day about the research evidence on snus (Swedish snuff) and what it might teach us about the costs and benefits of E-cigarettes. I reviewed some conflicting data and suggested that there was some complexity to the issue, and that I was optimistic about the future of safer forms of tobacco but cautiously so. I got a few intelligent emails, but the bulk of the reaction with which I was blessed fell into one of two types, which I summarize below.

(1) There is no doubt at all, no complexity, and no nuance, Dr. Humphreys. E-cigarettes would save hundreds of millions of lives if only shills and liars like you would get out of the way. You are in the pay of the nicotine patch industry aren’t you?

(2) There is no doubt at all, no complexity, and no nuance, Dr. Humphreys. E-cigarettes will claim hundreds of millions of lives because of shills and liars like you. You are in the pay of the tobacco industry, aren’t you?

Which brought to mind this prayer:

Lord, grant me the wisdom to seek the truth, and save me from those who think they have found it.

p.s. Simon Chapman has a well-written review up at BMJ about research on e-cigarettes. If nuance upsets you, save yourself some time and skip straight to his comment section to post your pro- or anti- E-cigarette screed.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine

Blogroll

  • Balloon Juice
  • The Belgravia Dispatch
  • Brad DeLong
  • Cop in the ‘hood
  • Crooked Timber
  • Crooks and Liars
  • Echidne of the Snakes
  • Firedoglake
  • A Fistful of Euros
  • Healthinsurance.org Blog
  • Horizons
  • How Appealing
  • The Incidental Economist
  • Informed Comment — Juan Cole
  • Jonathan Bernstein
  • Kevin Drum
  • Marginal Revolution — Tyler Cowen
  • Marijuana Monitor
  • The Moderate Voice
  • Obsidian Wings
  • Patheos
  • Philosoraptor
  • Plato o Plomo — Alejandro Hope
  • Political Animal
  • Politics Upside Down
  • Progressive Blog Digest
  • Progressive Blue
  • Slacktivist
  • Snopes
  • Strange Doctrines
  • Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • The Volokh Conspiracy (Washington Post)
  • Vox Pop

Recent Posts

  • Percentages and the pastrami panic…
  • Do professors care whether college students are actually learning?
  • Cannabis News Round-Up
  • Emergency
  • Weekend Film Recommendation: Hangover Square

Archives

Topic Areas

Copyright © 2017 The Reality-Based Community  •  Designed & Developed by ReadyMadeWeb LLC