4 ms·

Maybe because formal education didn't provide the science to ask questions scientifically? Bad education leaves generations vulnerable and exploitable.

by loopz 6y ago

watwut 6y ago
I think that bigger issue is the inability to admit gaps in own knowledge and admit that they matter. There is also part where people dont understand how science works. It is not just about making hypothesis and experiment, that is science fair simplistic thing that is not science. People dont understand ambiguity, that you need many studies till consensus forms, that studies sometimes contradict each other and figuring out why is part of work. There is also aspect that the science fair level of experiments is usually not actually good science. That is asking "scientific questions" that lead to bad results, because people asking them dont understand context. I mean, we have even PhD in one thing assuming that since they know that one thing, they now better then people studying completely different area. Because they asked simple question and did not bothered to check existing litterature.
- loopz 6y ago
  In order to run, one first need to crawl. People are asked to have faith in authority, even when said source flip-flops. This is according to the article, non-scientific. Instead people need better explanations about how we know what we think we know, and associated uncertainties. People and leaders need to embrace ambiguity, as you say. If school or personal experiments can be used correctly, it is a superior learning tool, and more scientific than learning any facts by rote. This is by no means natural, and need to be taught and modeled from good role models.
  - watwut 6y ago
    No one can become expert on everything. At some level, you simply need to have trust, because you just wont be able to independently learn and verify everything.
    - Loughla 6y ago
      And here we have the root of the problem. I can look up how to change my car's alternator on youtube, yet I am not an expert at cars. I can look up how to take cuttings and pot geraniums on youtube, yet I am not an expert in horticulture. I can look up how vaccines are harmful and masks interfere with my breathing on youtube, yet I am not an expert in infectious diseases. People believe the three things I have listed are equal, and that their research on youtube/facebook/twitter/the web in general is just as valid as an expert opinion. We have been taught that we CAN learn anything online, and that we CAN be an expert on everything, or at least we can feel like an expert on everything.

Maybe because formal education didn't provide the science to ask questions scientifically? Bad education leaves generations vulnerable and exploitable.

by loopz 6y ago

Maybe because formal education didn't provide the science to ask questions scientifically? Bad education leaves generations vulnerable and exploitable.

watwut 6y ago

I think that bigger issue is the inability to admit gaps in own knowledge and admit that they matter. There is also part where people dont understand how science works. It is not just about making hypothesis and experiment, that is science fair simplistic thing that is not science. People dont understand ambiguity, that you need many studies till consensus forms, that studies sometimes contradict each other and figuring out why is part of work. There is also aspect that the science fair level of experiments is usually not actually good science. That is asking "scientific questions" that lead to bad results, because people asking them dont understand context. I mean, we have even PhD in one thing assuming that since they know that one thing, they now better then people studying completely different area. Because they asked simple question and did not bothered to check existing litterature.

loopz 6y ago
In order to run, one first need to crawl. People are asked to have faith in authority, even when said source flip-flops. This is according to the article, non-scientific. Instead people need better explanations about how we know what we think we know, and associated uncertainties. People and leaders need to embrace ambiguity, as you say. If school or personal experiments can be used correctly, it is a superior learning tool, and more scientific than learning any facts by rote. This is by no means natural, and need to be taught and modeled from good role models.
- watwut 6y ago
  No one can become expert on everything. At some level, you simply need to have trust, because you just wont be able to independently learn and verify everything.
  - Loughla 6y ago
    And here we have the root of the problem. I can look up how to change my car's alternator on youtube, yet I am not an expert at cars. I can look up how to take cuttings and pot geraniums on youtube, yet I am not an expert in horticulture. I can look up how vaccines are harmful and masks interfere with my breathing on youtube, yet I am not an expert in infectious diseases. People believe the three things I have listed are equal, and that their research on youtube/facebook/twitter/the web in general is just as valid as an expert opinion. We have been taught that we CAN learn anything online, and that we CAN be an expert on everything, or at least we can feel like an expert on everything.