Why Hate Science?

Post Reply New Topic

And yet, the ideological bias of Gould *was* exposed. The fact that his biased accusations against evolutionary biology and intelligence research have been subsequently refuted by a lot of serious scientists (and evidence) illustrates that science *has* a self-correcting mechanism...

That is the main feature that sets Real Science apart from politics, philosophy, religion, superstition, and pseudo-science.

It's like every real scientist is driving to a vaguely-perceived destination with at least one other scientist correcting his wrong turns.

It's also like every politician, philosopher, religionist, and woo-woo believer and practitioner is drawing his or her own map to an unknowable destination, and claiming that they have already arrived ... when they are really just spinning their wheels, traveling in circles, or stalled on a dead-end road.

Is it legitimate allowable to apply the scientific method outside of the realm of science and in one's daily everyday life? If I started thoroughly studying it and rigidly applying it in my daily life would it help my life immensely?

i don't advise researching, writing a paper, and submitting that paper for peer review if you only want to eat a sandwich.



philosophy is a pseudoscience, too? i think you're gravely off the mark in qualifying the human capacity for ratiocination with medical quackery and religiosity.

no one said that it doesn't have a self-correcting mechanism.

Well, I admit that this may be an unreasonable prejudice of mine, but most of the self-identified "philosophers" that I have met personally seem to embrace the "If it can be imagined, then it can be made real" myth - and believing in myths allows the comfort of having an opinion without the discomfort of actually having to think.

My challenge to these so-called "philosophers" is this: "Why haven't you imagined into existence a world that is free from crime, disease, hate, hunger, violence and war? If imagination is all it takes, then why haven't you done so?"

Most of the people that I've met who have actually studied philosophy in a formal setting are as unlike these poseurs as Richard Dawkins is unlike Sylvia Browne.

i don't advise researching, writing a paper, and submitting that paper for peer review if you only want to eat a sandwich.

I don't understand what you're conveying here.

Fnord, so why are things like "you can do anything you set your mind to", the can do, and positivity promoted so prevalently without question? Why does our country America embrace positivity and a positive attitude like it is a religion? Why is it whenever someone attacks this philosophy one is attacked mercilessly?

Why is one expected in America to put on this fake optimism and fake positivity? Why is one expected to put on this aura of confidence?

sorry... i was cracking a joke, and it's not unusual that no one thinks that my joke was funny.

what i meant was that you shouldn't get caught up in analysis of everything mundane that you do in a day; you'd be crippled if you did. applying the scientific method may be overtly demanding for most things... but if you intended to actually do research into something that interested you, and then set up experiments based on your hypotheses about that subject, the scientific method would benefit you greatly. as an everyday thing... i don't think it is very practical.

however, you should apply healthy skepticism and critical thinking to your life. this goes naturally with the curiosity we all feel, and, insofar as just talking to you in this forum, i find you very curious, and i think you'd do well unto yourself if you explored that arena.

you should check out the James Randi Educational Foundation's forums and various other sites like Skeptoid, Skeptic.com, and possibly your local chapter of Skeptics. i think you'd like the Skeptics Guide to the Universe, also... very good starting material!

The alternative is to wallow in self-pity and the belief that nothing can ever be improved.


The alternative is to embrace negativity like a religion


Probably because people with negative attitudes are easily attacked and they rarely put up an effective defense.


It isn't fake. It's just what losers want to believe, because believing that they're worthless allows the comfort of having something to complain about without the discomfort of ever having to change.


By this point in time, I doubt that anyone expects you to ever put on anything remotely resembling a positive "aura".

your bias aside, I believe that these sorts of philosophy fall into the category of pseudo-philosophy. where the ideas propounded and discussed are bereft of any real substance. that's the distinction that should be made.



this sound a lot like quantum nonsense.



i actually laughed when i read this. ^

That's a face-off between Gnosticism and Panspermia. In what polarity are they opposites?

It's called "Wooism" - shorthand for false belief.

i would count wooism and quantum nonsense as twin disciplines.

Huh? What? I do not understand your reasoning. What does one's emotional state have to do with whether one can improve or not? I was able to improve my driving ability despite my doubts. I couldn't even switch lanes well until I had the pleasure of going to a driving school. I didn't have any positive attitude and positivity didn't change me. I didn't need a positive attitude whatsoever. When I was given the instruction by my instructor and I was able to tell where I went wrong that changed my attitude. I still feel confident to this day on my driving ability. He showed me where my logic was off.




BS, one does not have to embrace either. One can embrace objectivity and reason. There are times I can be wrong and if I am wrong and shown where I am wrong I will change my view. You're acting like attitude is a muscle one can move at a moment's whim. It is almost like you're telling me that one can control his own heartbeat? This has no logic that I can understand or reason out. One can attempt to use critical thinking not positive thinking.




Okay, I challenge you to show me where I am wrong on the things I have written. I have posted them to you plenty of times. If you can show me where my reasoning is off and fallacious then please by all means show me. I admit that I was wrong concerning axioms and faith. Newdawn, showed me where I was wrong and why. I realized my error and self-corrected. I have no objections to science anymore myself. I am on your side concerning that now.




Change what exactly? I believe I have a lot of worth and merit. Really, that's beside the point. It doesn't matter if I believe if I have worth or not. It is irrelevant. It doesn't matter how or what I feel. What matters is what the truth is. How do you derive that attitude is something that is a muscle that can be moved without an external stimulus? I do not follow your reasoning or logic at all. Isn't one's emotional state a reaction to a stimulus? How do you and the rest of America derive what you derive? What are your premises that you use to reach your conclusion?




Yes, positivity is fake and cultish especially when one has to watch his thoughts like the puritans had to as well. It is fake and cultish when one is socially not allowed to express his thoughts and one has to keep silent. My viewpoint is this. I want positivity that is genuine not one in which a person has to put on an act. I want true smiles and happiness. We don't need more positive thinking we need more critical thinking. We need people who think and want to think who are not afraid to touch the negatives, talk about the negatives and talk about finding solutions.

This woman is correct in what she says. Where are we both wrong Fnord?
http://www.barbaraehrenreich.com/brightsided.htm



They can't do this. It is a bunch of BS as well. They're smoking to much marijuana. Even if positivity is true to some extent then you must agree that it has limits and constraints such as this.

Strong with this one, the Science is!

Wooism covers a broad spectrum of paranormal and pseudo-scientific claims. It's main feature is "Belief itself is sufficient to prove the belief", (a form of circular reasoning), closely followed by the Fallacy of Appeal From Ignorance (e.g., "You can't prove it wrong, so it must be right!").

Wishful thinking and "Myths are Real" also feature greatly, and wooism is rife with conspiracy theories involving space aliens, psychic powers, lost civilizations, and false prophesies (i.e., the "Mayan Doomsday Prophesy").

One of the mods was kind enough to give me a list of interesting wooish texts, which I will gladly share with you in a PM, if you would like to see supreme examples of wooish thinking.

wooism (n): An irrational belief system based on the myths that: (1) a vast conspiracy is hiding technology, mostly alien, that could solve all energy problems and cure every disease; and (2) everything you read on the internet is true, unless it comes from an academic, governmental or scientific / medical organization website.