"Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition"

Adam Smith draws a vivid contrast between rational inquiry and unfounded belief. The metaphor of science as an antidote evokes an image of a curative agent, something that actively counters and neutralizes harm. Here, the harm arises from two sources: enthusiasm and superstition. "Enthusiasm" in this context refers to unbridled passion, zeal, or fervor that overrides reason, steering individuals to embrace ideas uncritically merely because they inspire excitement or hope. Such unchecked emotion can cloud judgment, foster fanaticism, and pave the way for collective delusions or misguided movements.

Opposed to enthusiasm stands "superstition", the adherence to beliefs or practices that lack empirical foundation, driven more by fear, tradition, or misunderstanding than by evidence. Superstition thrives in the absence of scrutiny, often perpetuated by habits, societal pressures, or the human tendency to seek explanations for the unknown in comforting myths. Both enthusiasm and superstition can poison intellectual and societal well-being, driving people to accept falsehoods, resist progress, or act destructively under misguided convictions.

Science, in Smith's vision, functions as the corrective remedy, offering tools for disciplined thought and skepticism. Through observation, evidence, experimentation, and the requirement for reproducibility, science whittles away at falsehoods born from wishful thinking or inherited irrational beliefs. Rather than simply dismissing passion or tradition, science channels curiosity and wonder into structured investigation and reasoned debate. By valuing doubt, demanding evidence, and welcoming critique, it creates a safeguard against the contagion of irrationality.

Ultimately, Smith presents science not only as a body of knowledge but as a process by which societies protect themselves from the dangerous effects of unchecked emotion and credulity. In relying on scientific principles, individuals are better equipped to separate truth from error, to temper emotion with logic, and to replace superstition with understanding.