5 ms·

I suspect that a pattern of not disclosing that statistics that are implied to be factual are actually to some degree ~estimates contributed to the extreme leve

I suspect that a pattern of not disclosing that statistics that are implied to be factual are actually to some degree ~estimates contributed to the extreme level of polarization over "facts" and "the science", as well as the increasing distrust of the media. Sure, most people don't consider these things too logically, but then if those distributing the facts can't be bothered either, how shall we accurately assign blame for the final outcome?

kook_throwaway 5y ago
>how shall we accurately assign blame for the final outcome? That's a feature not a bug.
nickthemagicman 5y ago
Whose to blame for 60,000 people dying in Vietnam? Whose to blame for Lobotomies winning the Nobel Prize? Whose to blame for Thalidomide being widely distributed? Almost anything can be passed off as legitimate without accountability with a concerted effort by 'authorities' and the 'news media', it's even worse in the modern short attention span news cycle.
- shadowgovt 5y ago
  Who's to blame for 600,000 dead in the United States?
  - nickthemagicman 5y ago
    The average death is 80 years old with two comorbidies so....the natural cycle of life?
    - shadowgovt 5y ago
      There's nothing natural about dying from COVID-19, except in the broadest of definitions of "natural" (i.e. the definition that we developed technology to minimize, control, and avoid).
      - nickthemagicman 5y ago
        I don't know how you define Natural.
        shadowgovt 5y ago
        It's a good question and definitions vary. My working, broadest definition is "That which exists / that which occurs if humans do not use their intellect and ability to cause something else to exist / happen." Starvation is natural. Death by predator is natural. Death due to exposure is natural. Death due to disease is natural. Tornadoes are natural. A biosphere-disrupting asteroid impact is natural. There are other things that are natural that are positives too, but it's good, I think, to keep in mind that "natural" doesn't always imply "good."
- mistermann 5y ago
  The true (accurate/correct) multi-dimensional causality is unknown.

kook_throwaway 5y ago

>how shall we accurately assign blame for the final outcome? That's a feature not a bug.

nickthemagicman 5y ago

Whose to blame for 60,000 people dying in Vietnam? Whose to blame for Lobotomies winning the Nobel Prize? Whose to blame for Thalidomide being widely distributed? Almost anything can be passed off as legitimate without accountability with a concerted effort by 'authorities' and the 'news media', it's even worse in the modern short attention span news cycle.

shadowgovt 5y ago
Who's to blame for 600,000 dead in the United States?
- nickthemagicman 5y ago
  The average death is 80 years old with two comorbidies so....the natural cycle of life?
  - shadowgovt 5y ago
    There's nothing natural about dying from COVID-19, except in the broadest of definitions of "natural" (i.e. the definition that we developed technology to minimize, control, and avoid).
    - nickthemagicman 5y ago
      I don't know how you define Natural.
      - shadowgovt 5y ago
        It's a good question and definitions vary. My working, broadest definition is "That which exists / that which occurs if humans do not use their intellect and ability to cause something else to exist / happen." Starvation is natural. Death by predator is natural. Death due to exposure is natural. Death due to disease is natural. Tornadoes are natural. A biosphere-disrupting asteroid impact is natural. There are other things that are natural that are positives too, but it's good, I think, to keep in mind that "natural" doesn't always imply "good."
mistermann 5y ago
The true (accurate/correct) multi-dimensional causality is unknown.