Re: Comet Elenin
Posted by Tim_NC on 2/9/2011, 11:55 pm
"Everything going on in the world [floods, earthquakes, storms, etc.] is 100% controlled by the government."

Jesus H. Christ, it's bad enough 25% of Americans think the Sun revolves around the Earth...and now I'm seeing insane conspiracy theories on a science board?

The November 8, 2010 issue of Newsweek has a good article titled: "Wanted: BS Detectors" with the subtitle: "What science ed should really teach."

The article's point is that we need to teach people how to spot "bad science" or "BS" if you will.

"The most useful skill we could teach is the habit of asking oneself and others "HOW DO YOU KNOW? If knowledge comes from intuition or anecdote, it is most likely WRONG."

This matches what I've read in books on neuroscience; that the human brain is horribly inept at discerning truth (it has evolved to accept what good communicators say instead of what is actually real.) Dare I offer 1930s Germany as a prime example?

Truth, reality, etc. come from peer-reviewed science; period. It does not come from good speakers - even though our brains have evolved otherwise (because that did long ago serve a survival purpose.)

We have 300 million people in our country. The vast majority of them are critical thinking failures because our education system (unlike those abroad) doesn't bother with teaching HOW to think but only deals with WHAT to think.

Facts and figures are not of much value if one doesn't know how to put them all together; much less even figure out if they're real in the first place.

Sorry for the rant - but too much of what I see on the internet is so bad, I'm discouraged to no end.

Tim in NC





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Comet Elenin - JAC, 2/7/2011, 9:27 am
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