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News Gathering vs. Confirmation Bias
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Science
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[S]cience is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking. I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time – when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.
The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30-second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance.
— Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (New York: Ballantine Books, 1996) at p.32.
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[S]cience is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking. I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time – when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.
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Tag Archives: science
Anti-cancer drug shows promise in human clinical trials
Diana Yates, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: A phase I clinical trial of PAC-1, a drug that spurs programmed cell death in cancer cells, found only minor side effects in patients with end-stage cancers. The drug stalled the growth of tumors in the five people in the trial with neuroendocrine cancers and reduced tumor size […]
Also tagged medicine
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People who skipped their COVID vaccine are at higher risk of traffic accidents
Erin Prater reporting for Fortune: If you passed on getting the COVID vaccine, you might be a lot more likely to get into a car crash. Seems logical. Irrational thinkers are bound to be worse drivers. They found that the unvaccinated people were 72% more likely to be involved in a severe traffic crash—in which […]
Also tagged covid-19, rational thought / critical thinking
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FRONTLINE: The Power of Big Oil
In an epic three-part documentary series, FRONTLINE investigates the decades-long failure to confront the threat of climate change and the role of the fossil fuel industry. Part One charts the fossil fuel industry’s early research on climate change and investigates industry efforts to sow seeds of doubt about the science. Part Two explores the industry’s […]
Also tagged environment/environmental, government, investigative journalism, news, politics
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How Three Amateurs Solved the Zodiac Killer’s ‘340’ Cipher
Kathryn Miles reporting for Popular Mechanics: But then, in December 2020, the FBI announced a breakthrough: The 340 cipher had been solved. Not by its crack Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit, but instead by three computer wonks who’d found one another on an obscure online true-crime discussion board and started collaborating during the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
New study indicates populist attitudes are associated with gullibility.
Populism exists throughout the political spectrum as a political ideology that defines society as conflict between ordinary people and the elites. Many conspiracy theories fit populist ideals in how they hinge on the elites as responsible for ordinary people’s societal issues. New research, published in Political Psychology, found that populist attitudes are associated with conspiracy […]
Also tagged rational thought / critical thinking
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First Dose of Moderna
Today, my wife and I each got the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Thanks Dolly! So far — some nine hours later — no side effects to speak of. The injection site feels about as sore as a seasonal flu shot makes you feel. I can tell you that, again, so far, this […]
Facemasks are the Most Important, Powerful Public Health Tool
Dr. Robert Redfield, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifying before Congress on Wednesday: Facemasks — these facemasks — are the most important, powerful public health tool we have. Goddamn right. Now, some people are saying that Dr. Redfield “walked back” his remarks, after being publicly disputed by Comrade Trump, but that’s […]
Also tagged covid-19, rational thought / critical thinking, reason
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Scientific American Endorses Joe Biden
Scientific American: Scientific American has never endorsed a presidential candidate in its 175-year history. This year we are compelled to do so. We do not do this lightly. The evidence and the science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the U.S. and its people—because he rejects evidence and science. The most devastating example is […]
Also tagged covid-19, environment/environmental, politics
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Grant Imahara, Former Mythbuster, Battlebots Champion, Dies at 49
The Discovery Channel: We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Grant. He was an important part of our Discovery family and a really wonderful man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Grant Imahara was an electrical engineer who dedicated his life to using his skills to make people smile. Beyond […]
Also tagged entertainment, rip/remembrance, tv
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Everything looks fine, until it isn’t fine.
Well, as Dr. Phil Plaitt (aka The Bad Astronomer) states below, this video is very, very good at explaining why we don’t see this stuff until it’s too late, and why early action gets called overreaction. Dr. Joe Hanson (of It’s Okay to Be Smart) explains in very easy to understand terms. Hey folks. Confused […]