Friday, September 07, 2012
More countermotions
In the broad realms of science, two wildly opposing trends.
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Some areas are making huge discoveries with an open-minded attitude, constantly expanding and breaking the boundaries of knowledge. Geneticists explore previously unknown parts of the chromosome, gradually realizing that every part has a function, and these functions are dynamic and 'analog' instead of static and 'digital'. Bacteriologists are painting a new picture of bacteria as component parts of intelligent colonies, and finding bacteria in all sorts of places where life was previously thought impossible. Materials science constantly finds new ways to manipulate polymers, composites, and fibers, making previously unimagined devices possible.
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Many other areas of science are locked into myth, superstition, and apocalyptic religious fervor. Climate. Quantum "physics". Cosmology. Psychology. Economics. In these areas, facts, logic and reality are ruthlessly squashed by legal and physical force, leaving bizarre fantasies and total falsehoods firmly in charge.
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This split in itself shouldn't be a problem. Every area of human endeavor has sane sections and dead-end wacked-out lunatic sections. Unfortunately, the dead-end parts have all the power and funding. When governments or educators look to science for solutions or answers, they exclusively consult the superstitious wackos; when governments want to pour money into science, they pour it into the myth-bound Inquisitors.= = = = =Later thought: Clearly there's a positive (bad) feedback loop. The presence of government power and funding is exactly why those dead-end areas remain locked in idiocy. When you have riches, power, glory and access to journalists, you'll fight hard to keep your share. You'll manipulate the media to insure that your views remain dominant, and you'll use every available means to shut out the competition. When these temptations are present, noble motives like the pursuit of knowledge, or practical motives like commercial usefulness, can't survive. ¶ 4:59 AM
= = = = =
Some areas are making huge discoveries with an open-minded attitude, constantly expanding and breaking the boundaries of knowledge. Geneticists explore previously unknown parts of the chromosome, gradually realizing that every part has a function, and these functions are dynamic and 'analog' instead of static and 'digital'. Bacteriologists are painting a new picture of bacteria as component parts of intelligent colonies, and finding bacteria in all sorts of places where life was previously thought impossible. Materials science constantly finds new ways to manipulate polymers, composites, and fibers, making previously unimagined devices possible.
= = = = =
Many other areas of science are locked into myth, superstition, and apocalyptic religious fervor. Climate. Quantum "physics". Cosmology. Psychology. Economics. In these areas, facts, logic and reality are ruthlessly squashed by legal and physical force, leaving bizarre fantasies and total falsehoods firmly in charge.
= = = = =
This split in itself shouldn't be a problem. Every area of human endeavor has sane sections and dead-end wacked-out lunatic sections. Unfortunately, the dead-end parts have all the power and funding. When governments or educators look to science for solutions or answers, they exclusively consult the superstitious wackos; when governments want to pour money into science, they pour it into the myth-bound Inquisitors.= = = = =Later thought: Clearly there's a positive (bad) feedback loop. The presence of government power and funding is exactly why those dead-end areas remain locked in idiocy. When you have riches, power, glory and access to journalists, you'll fight hard to keep your share. You'll manipulate the media to insure that your views remain dominant, and you'll use every available means to shut out the competition. When these temptations are present, noble motives like the pursuit of knowledge, or practical motives like commercial usefulness, can't survive. ¶ 4:59 AM
