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Originally Posted by CraigD
Quote:
Originally Posted by goku
perhaps the largest reason i reject GW is a lack of faith in scientists.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by modest
If this is indeed your motivation then you should equally lack confidence in all other predictions of science. You would doubt salt is made of sodium and chlorine. You would eat lead paint chips and drink antifreeze having no faith that either will kill you. But, this is not the case. You regularly trust scientists on many things that you do not know or determine empirically yourself. You have no reason to doubt them on many issues and you do not doubt them. So, the real question is not your faith in science but your selective attitude toward believing what science tells you.
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I think we humans, by necessity and without normal exception, make decisions based a combination of authority and consensus seeking. By this explanation, the reason someone such as goku accepts the scientific conclusion that one shouldn’t eat lead in paint, yet rejects the scientific conclusion that the Earth is over 4 billion years old, is because no significant authority or collection of peers in his experience dispute the first, but many dispute the second. |
I agree with this. I think it is very true and dominant to human nature. I would add that this is particularly why reading is so important. When a person can step outside their own environment, family, or local network to obtain information that will make an impression on them - nothing could be better for their advancement as an individual. This is exactly why it’s so freakin’ brilliant that someone like goku can be a part of forums like this. Some forums (that I won’t name) work hard at excluding individuals that either don’t share like-minded positions or are less intelligent or less informed. That, I strongly believe, is unhelpful and bad.
