Wenn zwei sich streiten, freut sich der dritte, wer anderen eine Grube gräbt, fällt selbst hinein, Verbrechen lohnt sich nicht – so klingen wohlgemeinte Ratschläge, teilweise sehr alt, aus dem Volksmund oder von Behörden. Konflikte machen einen guten Teil unseres Lebens aus. Blicken wir auf das weite Feld der Wissenschaft, bieten sich mannigfaltige Forschungsfelder, die Feindschaften, Konflikte und Opposition zum Fokus des Interesses haben. In der Diskussion steht der Ausgang von Auseinandersetzungen, aber auch die Formen von Opposition und ihre Beteiligten selbst.

Drawing on some 30 years’ experience in the UK and Central Europe, the author offers four assertions, three about education generally and the fourth that of the title. There the case is argued that statistics is a branch of logic, and therefore should be taught by experts in such subjects as philosophy and law and not exclusively by athematicians. Education in both Statistics and these other subjects would profit in consequence.

Drawing on some 30 years’ experience in the UK and Central Europe, the author offers four assertions, three about education generally and the fourth that of the title. There the case is argued that statistics is a branch of logic, and therefore should be taught by experts in such subjects as philosophy and law and not exclusively by athematicians. Education in both Statistics and these other subjects would profit in consequence.

In recent decades, there has been a steady increase in the number of people, including adolescents, undergoing medical body modification (MBM) to alter their physically healthy bodies in invasive and nearly irreversible ways through medical treatment (e.g. surgery). While MBM is often recommended for youth with persisting gender dysphoria (GD), in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) it has been considered contraindicated. Here, we outline the current controversies surrounding MBM practice and recommendations in adolescents with GD versus those with BDD in order to better understand under what circumstances we may or may not support adolescents who want to change their bodies medically and often irreversibly. We compare the two disorders in terms of the overlap and uniqueness of their behavioural and psychological features. In doing so, we discuss limitations of the existing (often low-quality) evidence for and against MBM in young patients. We conclude that the currently available evidence is too preliminary and far from conclusive to make any robust recommendations in terms of benefits and harms of MBM in youth with persisting GD or BDD. However, we strongly recommend further urgent scientific discussions and systematic research efforts into more robust evaluations and the identification of more precise psychological characteristics that may serve as decision criteria for or against MBM – particularly in those adolescents who did not respond to non-MBM, that is, psychiatric/psychological treatment and psychosocial support, if available at all. This will greatly benefit youth healthcare professionals in their challenging clinical practice of making decisions regarding MBM today and in the future.