From Pine View Farm

The Disbelievers 0

At Psychology Today Blogs, Michael Carson suggests that the success of science in improving our lives makes it easier for persons to deny established scientific facts. In these days of anti-vaxxers, flat earthers, and believers in the laughable curve, his piece is worth a look.

Here’s a nugget:

Science specializes in ideas, and in methods for sorting those ideas, that lead to successful action, rather than ideas that appeal to other people. One irony is that insulation from early death lowers the stakes for sifting bad ideas; very little is at stake for most people on the question of whether the earth is flat, so many people maintain that idea without facing any cost other than the reactions of other people.

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