Hostile to Knowledge

Frightening, isn't it?

GAH don’t get me started on the anti-intellectual, anti-science movements out there, because I will start flailing about trying to convince people that more knowledge is ALWAYS better.

I think one of the big problems is a confusion between “freedom of opinion” and the validity of that opinion. Yes, here in This Great Country Of Ours you are allowed to believe whatever the hell you believe. This does not necessarily make your belief RIGHT. Facts are facts, and just because you insist that you’re DAMN SURE Japan is a country in the nation of Africa doesn’t mean it is.

The other potential for confusion is in the way the scientific method and good theories are all about testing to prove oneself WRONG. The scientific method is essentially a process of elimination—you discard the bits of your theory that don’t hold with evidence, and there is always the proviso that all of this is subject to some modification if we find out something else. People interpret this to mean that science admits that we can never truly know anything, when in fact it is the best way to get to the correct answer.

But these misinterpretation is the foothold a lot of antiscience campaigns. The creationist/“intelligent design” movement thrives on both the idea that the right to an opinion validates the opinion itself, and that incomplete, falsifiable knowledge holds no water. People believe it in the context of a society that encourages it, and because they want to be democratic, certain, and not required to do any actual searching for answers.

Are you familiar with Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer? He's a very good source of news for people who want to combat anti-intellectualism. He deals a lot with the various bullshit conspiracy theories out there pretty brutally. bablogfeed is his feed, or you can always check out his site. It’s nice to see someone thinking more or less clearly.

I'll never forget when I was working as a Teaching Assistant for one of my Anthropology professors, sitting down to dinner with some friends of my ex.
They asked me what I did. I told them I was presently helping my students learn about Human Evolution. Horrified Collective Gasp: "You don't believe in Creation?" All eyes at the table examine my face and hands for potential Satanic marks...Me thinking ("Good thing I didn't tell them I was not only an Anthropologist but a Witch too!") :-)

Carl: "Yeah. Let's make litter out of these literati!"
Lenny: "That's too clever. You're one of them!" (Lenny punches Carl)

It's annoying how all the nice social-democratic countries are so dang cold. Even when they acquire colonies they pick even colder places (e.g. Denmark and Greenland). Hey, Canada, why not annex Barbados?

I suppose there must be a historical explanation for it, hot regions lending themselves to the old colonial-agricultural exploitation of natives & slaves (and the social & economic arrangements have persisted despite the end of the plantation system), whereas chilly countries full of independent farmers had to band together for mutual aid.

Maybe the only solution is to try and civilize America!

The will to work hard and learn things is becoming a rare commodity, not that those qualities have ever been in wide acceptance. You on the other hand, have the will to thrive in a hostile world. Kudos.
Be proud at not being one of the ignorant masses :) Hope i'll join you in this state anytime soon.

So what minimum proportion, do you suppose, of the population needs to have a working understanding of stuff like "why antibiotics fail" and "how radioactive stuff behaves" to avoid the collapse of modern western civilisations.
Do you think we're going to find out the hard way?

Believe it or not, none of this surprises me. Not at all. But I think the thing that bothers me the most is not just the ignorance is that the U.S. likes glorifying in their ignorance, sadly.