- Joined
- Sep 20, 2017
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I'm genuinely curious.
This is no way intended as a political wedge in any particular direction, since there are plenty of anti-science champions on both far-left as well as far-right.
When I was growing up, if someone got a bright idea to publicly challenge gravity, or that Earth wasn't flat, or that vaccines prevent deadly diseases, that person would have been ostracized as mentally challenged.
Not anymore.
I do appreciate and acknowledge a lot of other social and political trends, and am purposely leaving them out of this discussion.
Just focusing on increasing animosity towards science, scientific method, and increasing willingness to denigrate scientific findings if they contradict one's preferred ideology.
I find this trend increasing in frequency and amplitude.
And don't like where it's leading...
*sigh*
This is no way intended as a political wedge in any particular direction, since there are plenty of anti-science champions on both far-left as well as far-right.
When I was growing up, if someone got a bright idea to publicly challenge gravity, or that Earth wasn't flat, or that vaccines prevent deadly diseases, that person would have been ostracized as mentally challenged.
Not anymore.
- Have our education standards fallen so low that these basic facts are genuinely open to questioning?
- If yes, how did we get THAT dumb THAT fast?
- Have we gotten so permissive and accommodating to any and all "off-the-wall" beliefs that challenging someone's idiocy is no longer socially acceptable?
- So now we allow equal air time to all sorts of banal nonsense on par with science?
- Do folks just follow the example of our politicians who casually throw science under the bus, or warship it as the ultimate truth, depending on what side of an argument they are on any given issue?
- If so, are politicians playing on the growing ignorance of scientific discoveries among the electorate (#1), or feel that they can get away promoting any nonsense as long as it sounds good (#2), or just lack any moral core and say whatever it takes to keep audience's attention onto them (free clicks and airtime)?
I do appreciate and acknowledge a lot of other social and political trends, and am purposely leaving them out of this discussion.
Just focusing on increasing animosity towards science, scientific method, and increasing willingness to denigrate scientific findings if they contradict one's preferred ideology.
I find this trend increasing in frequency and amplitude.
And don't like where it's leading...
*sigh*