You know one of the key differences between science and religion? Theories are changed/developed in the face of empirical, experimentally reproducible evidence. If we learn we were wrong about something, we change our practices to match our new knowledge of reality. That’s why smoking is discouraged and even outlawed in some places. That’s why we limit lead exposure now. The people who don’t have their heads buried in their own asses are very much aware fossil fuels are contributing to climate change.

There was never a consensus that lobotomies were an appropriate treatment for anything. I don’t know whose crusty asshole you pulled that shit out of. (Source: my psych degree, I actually studied this shit.)

You seem to be under this blatantly wrong assumption that “scientific consensus” means anyone in a white coat is an infallible member of the priestly caste.

scientific consensus once thought lobotomies were appropriate treatment for unruly housewives

Ah, another lie about scientific consensus.

It’s not feasible to expect every person to know everything about the world. Experts exist for a reason and our trust in them is what pulled us out of the dark ages. Seems to me you use contrarianism as a means of exercising a misguided sense of superiority. The data shows fluoride is safe and effective. Until that changes there is no reason to condemn its use beyond baseless fear mongering.

You know what's really useful? Not conflating "a thing that happened" with "a thing based on scientific consensus"

American Institute for Economic Research Menu How Government Prolonged the Lobotomy Vincent GelosoVincent Geloso Raymond-J-MarchRaymond J. March – August 1, 2019Reading Time: 3 minutes AIER >> Daily Economy >> History Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint

Ramming an icepick through someone’s eyelid to remove a part of their brain sounds like a horrifying method of torture. However, this procedure, named the lobotomy, was a common method to treat mental illness in the United States for nearly 40 years. From 1936 until 1972, nearly 60,000 people were lobotomized. Most lobotomies were performed without the patient’s or their legal caretaker’s consent.

Unsurprisingly, the procedure was a spectacular failure. After surgery, patients often found themselves paranoid, emotionally volatile, incontinent, and with severely impaired intelligence. Surgical complications often left patients unable to function independently, requiring constant supervision and caretaking. When a patient was released from the asylum after being lobotomized, they typically found themselves returning within a few months. Upon their return, they often underwent a second (or, in one case, fourth) lobotomy.

The lobotomy has been described as “one of the most spectacular failures in the history of medicine.” But unlike many historic medical practices which seem barbaric and detrimental only in hindsight, the lobotomy was scorned and dismissed by medical professionals when it became most popular. By 1941, the American Medical Association denounced the lobotomy as ineffective. Shortly after, a world-wide consensus developed along the same lines. However, the procedure continued to grow in popularity, eventually reaching a “lobotomy boom” in the mid-1940s and early-1950s.

Consider this: you are making the same "Science is a bitch... sometimes" argument that Mack made on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. You are making the exact same argument that was intended to show how unbelievably stupid he is.