A study conducted at Johns Hopkins University and published in Science suggests that random mutations were responsible for 22 of the 31 cancers examined. Behaviour and heredity are still relevant factors in assessing a person's risk of developing cancer, but the scientists concluded that 65% of cancer incidence could be attributed to unaccountable errors in cell division, or as expressed by Reuters, "bad luck."
Although the materialist paradigm usually prefers to isolate a causal basis for events, it seems to have been granted a free pass in this instance. The possibility that cancer develops for reasons not yet measured is left off the table, in favour of an argument for early intervention (intervention that can be as deadly as the cancer it is intended to defeat). Prevention is precluded.
The logic would break down if it were found that the occurrence of all cancers has been on the increase, not only those shown to be directly influenced by environment or genes. It would imply that global rates of bad luck have been going up. This would be an exciting if worrisome discovery for a worthy statistician to make.
No comments:
Post a Comment