Hope is an integral part of human life. It is especially important in the daily lives of Christians and Jews. For them, it is a biblical concept that sustains a longing for a return to original creation amid a fallen world. In scientific endeavors, hope is important in initiating questions and sustaining them through long years of observations and testing. It is a hope for a better treatment or a more profound understanding of a phenomenon that drives many in our field to commit time, treasure, and talent to scientific inquiry.
Importantly, hope for a solution or answer is separate from finding and proclaiming one. In science, when hope is revealed as truth the actual product is distrust.
Today, we will discuss the house testimony that was given by Deborah Birx to Jim Jordan this past week. While thankful for her honesty during this questioning, the damage that was done to our profession and institution during the past two years for promoting hope as truth is hard to calculate.