This is, I believe, one of the downsides of empiricism and the fixation on citation rather than observation and reason. The idea that a whole profession came to reject the idea that infants are able to feel pain is astonishing, especially considering anyone who has ever taken care of infants knows that these little human beings react to things which are known to be painful. Babies feeling pain is something that should be self-evident, shouldn't it? It may not be empirically evident, but decisions can still be made without such metrics.
Don't get me wrong, empiricism and citation is valuable. However, a myopic focus on it enables some very twisted conclusions.
Don't get me wrong, empiricism and citation is valuable. However, a myopic focus on it enables some very twisted conclusions.