Allegiance Bias in Science: Imprisoning the Truth

Without realizing it, one reason for the decline in trust in government results from “allegiance bias.” Allegiance bias occurs when scientists “distort findings based on investigators’ preferences”—but some decisionmakers also are guilty of these biases. 

We have seen recent cases where allegiance to theories drive both science and policy, e.g., COVID policies, global climate change, international trade (social science), and even diets. When people find out that biases are driving decisions, trust declines.

Restoring trust was a theme at the World Economic Forum where “global thinkers” met in Davos, Switzerland to “shape government, industry, and social sectors.” One speaker said that, to restore trust they must “communicate in a very simple, accessible way and to explain what it is that we do: us as politicians, you as scientists.” Another said, if you don’t explain it correctly, people will not understand the wisdom behind their pronouncements, and it may trigger “extreme reactions.” A third speaker from Harvard said that Davos must fight against “organized disinformation campaigns by industries with a vested interest in denying the science.”

To prevent extreme reactions and disinformation, speakers emphasized organizing everyone to adopt identical messages, keep repeating the science, simplifying the messages and even telling the audience how to react to what you are telling them. There is no mention of engaging with critics openly.

But “believing in science,” should also include believing in the scientific process. That process is one that accepts and even rewards constant challenges to scientific theories. 

Instead, what we see is the equivalent of texting using capitals, i.e., screaming at people as if to say:

LISTEN, THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE!

Below are some of the scientific pronouncements that were overturned.

COVID: DISEASE TRANSMISSION WILL BE REDUCED BY STAYING SIX FEET APART!

Fauci noted that that advice, “sort of just appeared” without a solid scientific basis. 

COVID: CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS NEED TO BE VACCINATED AND STAY HOME!

Fauci said he never said that they needed to shut schools down and WHO says kids shouldn’t be vaccinated.

EATING DIETARY CHOLESTEROL, ESPECIALLY EGGS, LEADS TO HEART DISEASE!

Dietary cholesterol has nothing to do with blood cholesterol.

EAT TRANS FAT INSTEAD OF ANIMAL FATS!

Trans fats are much worse for you than animal fats.

ULCERS ARE CAUSED BY STRESS

Ulcers are not caused by stress, they are caused by bacteria, specifically H. pylori.

Let’s examine how this last one happened. The medical community had believed that ulcers were caused by stress and spicy foods since the 1930s. In true allegiance form, they didn’t accept new findings that ulcers could be caused by bacteria. The idea of bacteria causing ulcers was discovered in 1982 by two Australian scientists, but “The clinical community met their findings with skepticism and a lot of criticism and that's why it took quite a remarkable length of time for their discovery to become widely accepted. The Australian scientists pushed their theory harder and harder with both experimental and clinical evidence.”

Even 12 years after the initial discovery, an NIH report suggested that antibiotics (to kill the bacteria) should be used to treat ulcers but, by 1995, only 5% of patients were treated that way. Finally, in 2005 the researchers received the Nobel Prize and conventional wisdom and the old diagnoses ended. The result was that 23 years after the initial discovery, doctors were no longer blaming peptic ulcers on spicy foods or high-stress lifestyles.   

"What these events should teach us is that elite insiders rarely have a clue, that even the most celebrated and triumphed ideas or personalities can fall apart at a moment’s notice."

The more people scream about consensus and deniers and what you must believe, we should always listen to the scientists who are willing to do difficult research and challenge status quo beliefs.

Coordination, repetition, improving the message, and shutting down the opposition are all allegiance bias tactics to ensure conformity.

As long as conformity is maintained, the truth is not allowed to escape.