Per my earlier comments - I think scientists are pretty good about realizing this, especially within their own disciplines. But popular culture makes exactly the error you so lucidly point out! Really, such an excellent exposition, I thoroughly enjoyed your article (as someone with a philosophy degree who studied Hume et all as if my life depended on it — in fact, I turned aside from science in order to study philosophy because I found science too narrow, and not founded on logic (per Hume).

However, I think we can circle back round to science not because it is logical, but because it is a tremendous refinement in the practical human skill of discernment which, evolutionarily was key to our survival and thriving as a species.

In a nutshell: early Humans who assumed a causal relationship between a large beige shape moving the the savannah and a lion attacking tended to survive and reproduce. Where as the Early Humeans who eschewed the fallacy of causality tended to end up as cat food.

So, science as a practical tool to enhance our survival, I think makes great sense—and, if we were really to take this seriously, then science as practiced today could perhaps correct course away from some of the clearly destructive pathways it has put us on—simply because we can, does not mean that we should. Atomic weapons, ever smarter AIs, new oil drilling technology. The list could go on for pages!

David - thank you so much for such an excellent and thought-stimulating article.