Skewed Views of Science

[McC]

Great YouTube video that outlines how fucked up most peoples' approach to science is. Might be worth sharing with some of your more..."intuition-based" acquaintances.

[Zixinus]

Pretty good and I think this is the stuff that should be shown in school. I haven't really learned anything that I didn't already know.

I did like how the visuals went very well with the line of thought of the narrator.

[Surlethe]

Overall, I liked it, but I wasn't sure I agreed with the sentiment that science isn't in the business of confirming or denying beliefs. Ultimately, every belief is a statement (or body of statements) regarding objective reality; in the process of discovering that reality, science ends up confirming or denying those beliefs. Other than that, though, it was great. It would probably offend my father-in-law, which is how you know it's good.

[TithonusSyndrome]

Overall, I liked it, but I wasn't sure I agreed with the sentiment that science isn't in the business of confirming or denying beliefs.

I think what the author intended to say was "science isn't out to pick on anyone's beliefs." This was to reinforce his point about objectivity; science has many, MANY consequences for everyone's belief systems, but it's foremost purpose isn't to ally itself with or against specific beliefs out of spite or agenda.

[Surlethe]

Overall, I liked it, but I wasn't sure I agreed with the sentiment that science isn't in the business of confirming or denying beliefs.

I think what the author intended to say was "science isn't out to pick on anyone's beliefs." This was to reinforce his point about objectivity; science has many, MANY consequences for everyone's belief systems, but it's foremost purpose isn't to ally itself with or against specific beliefs out of spite or agenda.

Perhaps that's what he intended, but what he actually said was all too close to the common belief that science and religion coexist on two parallel planes, and that's wrong. I think that he may have been putting a little bit of politics into his video, assuaging viewers who may have felt offended, but that doesn't make him right.

[sketerpot]

Perhaps that's what he intended, but what he actually said was all too close to the common belief that science and religion coexist on two parallel planes, and that's wrong. I think that he may have been putting a little bit of politics into his video, assuaging viewers who may have felt offended, but that doesn't make him right.

I think GLaDOS put it best:

Look: we're both stuck in this place. I'll use lasers to inscribe a line down the center of the facility, and one half will be where you live, and I'll live in the other half. We won't have to try to kill each other or even talk if we don't feel like it.

... I think we both know that isn't going to happen.

[Junghalli]

Pretty basic, but I love the beginning part about the armchair scientists who think they know better than the real scientists. It reminds me of my experiences with the global warming deniers on SB.com. Complete scientific illiterates who think that based on five minutes googling they can dismiss anthropogenic global warming as some bunk conspiracy theory by radical environuts. The fact they know jack shit about the subject doesn't stop from thinking they know better than the vast majority of reputable climate scientists. It makes me feeling like posting this video there.

I'm always bowled over by the sheer arrogance of scientifically illiterate laymen who think a little googling makes them as or more qualified to judge scientific matters than professional scientists. Can you imagine if somebody with no medical training whatsoever kept going to doctor after doctor and insisting their diagnoses were all wrong because he looked up his symptoms on the internet and he thinks he has a different disease based on that? Or if somebody insisted that he knew how to build something better than a professional carpenter when he knows nothing about carpentry? Or somebody who thinks he knows military strategy better than a general because he's read a book or two on it in the library? Nobody would have a problem heaping scorn on a fool like that, but for some reason society has a tolerance for arrogant dumbasses who think a few hours of reading qualifies them to know better than people who've worked years to get advanced degrees in a scientific field.

[Twoyboy]

Meh, it was ok, but I was hoping for specific examples to ram the point home. Places where idiots have screwed up because they didn't listen to the evidence. Some of this guys other videos were pretty good though, if anyone wants to browse through them.

Or somebody who thinks he knows military strategy better than a general because he's read a book or two on it in the library?

Wasn't there a guy here who insisted he knew better than someone with armed forces experience because he'd played computer games?