Einherjar86
Active Member
hitlermeme.jpgj/k

http://slatestarcodex.com/2017/04/17/learning-to-love-scientific-consensus/
Quite a few links to genetic/sex based psychological/cognitive differences included, but linking the final closing point:
Wow, good piece. I understand his wariness of blindly accepting scientific consensus. But the point isn't that people shouldn't be skeptical; it's that they should take the time and do their own fucking research (if they can), like SSC did; and lo and behold, look what you find?
My frustration is with people who are skeptical without having any reason to be beyond their own personal doubt.
I like this comment:
I feel a deep temptation to sympathize with global warming denialists who worry that the climatological consensus is biased politicized crap, because that is exactly the sort of thing which I would expect to come out of our biased politicized crappy society. Yet again and again I have seen examples of scientific fields that have maintained strong commitments to the truth in the face of pressure that would shatter any lesser institution. I’ve seen fields where people believe incredibly-bizarre sounding things that will get them mocked at cocktail parties just because those things seem to be backed by the majority of the evidence. I’ve even seen people change their minds, in spite of all the incentives to the contrary. I can’t explain this. The idea that scientific consensus is almost always an accurate reflection of the best knowledge we have at the time seems even more flabbergasting than any particular idea that scientists might or might not believe. But it seems to be true.
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