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> It's gravely concerning to see hostility directed at people who tell others to think for themselves, question experts, and adopt a general attitude of informe
by nickthemagicman 5y ago
> It's gravely concerning to see hostility directed at people who tell others to think for themselves, question experts, and adopt a general attitude of informed skepticism.
This trend of blind trust has been extremely alarming to me as well these days!
Lobotomies won the Nobel prize in the early 20th century championed by experts!
Experts aren't immune to agendas, or corruption, or any of the human vices.
Appeal to authority is a literal logical fallacy but it's lost on people.
Scary world we're in.
- quotemstr 5y agoPart of it is just primal primate psychology stuff. People are scared. When a smooth, soothing voice on YouTube tells these scared people that it's all going to be all right if they just follow recommendations A, B, and C from the "experts", these people feel soothed and safe, like a crying baby being swaddled and given a pacifier. These people perceive criticism of these soothing experts as personal attacks on their safety and react accordingly. "How DARE you attack the people who made me feel safe after I was scared?!" Scientific progress depends on consciously overriding these ancient impulses, and we've done a terrible job of communicating this idea to the next generation.
- nickthemagicman 5y agoI guess people have always needed a wise knowledgeable parental figure to give them extremely simple things to do, to make everything alright. Communion, masks, sacrificing virgins, etc. It helps deal with the fear of the unknown. I guess one step in growing up is realizing nothing is good and also nothing is bad, it's all subjective...the world is essentially a thin veneer of civilization on top of total chaos.