In "The Blank Slate," Steven Pinker outlined that we humans don't have a good genetic disposition for assessing risk well. This comes from our days as hunter gatherers when the more risker members of the tribe were weeded out.

I had a few acquaintances who refused to wear a mask because they were not 100% effective. I could not convince them that even if masks were 30% effective, that would go a long way to reducing the spread.

As another example, aggressive drivers do not believe they are a danger on the roads---because they got to the destination the last 999 times without incident.

I think it's real hard crafting public policy based on good science when too many people cannot evaluate risk.

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And it should be acknowledged that science can be corrupted. Some scientists need to stay in lanes if they want a career in science and continue to get funding for their projects.

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For those politicians listening to science, they have a balancing act to work out. We need a better system of governance to find a better balance.