As I was going up the stair
I met a man who wasn't there
He wasn't there again today
Oh how I wish he'd go away!
-- "Antigonish," William Hughes Mearns, circa 1899
People who see real patterns and relationships that elude others are visionaries. There are very few if any in each generation. Anyone with a decent secondary education can tick off their names: Newton, Copernicus, Galileo, Darwin, Curie, Faraday, Einstein. There are others, of course -- but not that many, considering how many humans have trod the Earth since the Enlightenment. These giants did not set out to prove that their unfounded suspicions were correct, but simply to learn -- to find out how things worked and what caused what.
People who imagine patterns and relationships where none exist are either delusional in the psychotic sense, or simply willfully self-deluded. They start out already convinced of deliberately hidden, often nefarious connections between unconnected events, and then they hunt for the tiny tidbits of information that the gullible might construe as proof of those connections. They falsely connect dots that are terminally unconnected, and deduce cause and effect from mere coincidence. They then come away convinced that, through their own gifts of insight, they have special knowledge and understanding that eludes the masses. They and they alone have seen beyond the imaginary smokescreen constructed by diabolically clever government and/or industry types to hide reality, but that they in their wisdom and daring have yanked aside to reveal the truth. Thus, they satisfy their narcissistic need to be not just correct, but to be smarter than all the poor sheep foolish enough to believe career journalists who do dozens of hours of research before submitting a story for publication.
It's been said that the only thing more dangerous than ignorance is the illusion of knowledge. Whether it's advocating for the refusal of vaccinations based on a fraudulent study, or an anti-GMO campaign rooted in baseless fear, or any one of a number of other nonsensical beliefs about which people have become passionate, others suffer genuine harm as a result of these beliefs and the efforts carried out in their name: children who are permanently harmed or killed by measles outbreaks; Third World populations needlessly suffering blindness due to vitamin deficiencies that could have been prevented by genetically modified crops.
Skepticism is not synonymous with cynicism. Reject claims that do not have supporting evidence. Do not reject evidence just because it conflicts with your preconceived notions. Accept that even people, companies, or governments you don't personally like can possess good, solid information, and that not everyone who decides to follow the science instead of your pet peeve is a "sellout."
I met a man who wasn't there
He wasn't there again today
Oh how I wish he'd go away!
-- "Antigonish," William Hughes Mearns, circa 1899
People who see real patterns and relationships that elude others are visionaries. There are very few if any in each generation. Anyone with a decent secondary education can tick off their names: Newton, Copernicus, Galileo, Darwin, Curie, Faraday, Einstein. There are others, of course -- but not that many, considering how many humans have trod the Earth since the Enlightenment. These giants did not set out to prove that their unfounded suspicions were correct, but simply to learn -- to find out how things worked and what caused what.
People who imagine patterns and relationships where none exist are either delusional in the psychotic sense, or simply willfully self-deluded. They start out already convinced of deliberately hidden, often nefarious connections between unconnected events, and then they hunt for the tiny tidbits of information that the gullible might construe as proof of those connections. They falsely connect dots that are terminally unconnected, and deduce cause and effect from mere coincidence. They then come away convinced that, through their own gifts of insight, they have special knowledge and understanding that eludes the masses. They and they alone have seen beyond the imaginary smokescreen constructed by diabolically clever government and/or industry types to hide reality, but that they in their wisdom and daring have yanked aside to reveal the truth. Thus, they satisfy their narcissistic need to be not just correct, but to be smarter than all the poor sheep foolish enough to believe career journalists who do dozens of hours of research before submitting a story for publication.
It's been said that the only thing more dangerous than ignorance is the illusion of knowledge. Whether it's advocating for the refusal of vaccinations based on a fraudulent study, or an anti-GMO campaign rooted in baseless fear, or any one of a number of other nonsensical beliefs about which people have become passionate, others suffer genuine harm as a result of these beliefs and the efforts carried out in their name: children who are permanently harmed or killed by measles outbreaks; Third World populations needlessly suffering blindness due to vitamin deficiencies that could have been prevented by genetically modified crops.
Skepticism is not synonymous with cynicism. Reject claims that do not have supporting evidence. Do not reject evidence just because it conflicts with your preconceived notions. Accept that even people, companies, or governments you don't personally like can possess good, solid information, and that not everyone who decides to follow the science instead of your pet peeve is a "sellout."
Sounds like Rachel Maddow.
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