ABSTRACT
Several current controversies are examined in this chapter. These are anthropogenic global warming (sometimes ambiguously referred to as climate change), sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef, the saturated fat–heart disease theory, the explosion in gluten-free foods, and the controversy surrounding the development of genetic engineering. For each of these issues, there has been a polarization of opinion. The global warming debate has been characterized by arguments based on induction. The hypothesis-deduction approach has hardly been applied. One possible application is in relation to the Medieval Warm Period. The debate about the sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef has pitted environmentalists against industrialists. Research on the saturated fat–heart disease hypothesis has been based mainly on epidemiological studies, which have shown correlations but cannot show cause-effect relationships. Gluten-free foods, although justified for patients suffering celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, is leading to an explosion in their production that is not justified for the general population. Benefits and risks involved in genetic engineering are summarized.
