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> You dont loose credibility by acknowledging you were wrong Maybe that's how you think, but lots of people don't think that way. To a large part of the masses

> You dont loose credibility by acknowledging you were wrong Maybe that's how you think, but lots of people don't think that way. To a large part of the masses, experts have to be right the first time around, otherwise people lose trust in them. Many people don't understand the scientific method or that science is not about certainty but about constantly learning and adjusting. Many treat science and expertise as authoritative, and when they fail, or even if they say "we don't know", many lost faith in the entire concept of science, jumping to... less science-y approaches that feel more emotionally gratifying. Is this just a failure of education? I don't know.

verisimi 5y ago
It shouldn't matter how you think, or how a change of opinion is viewed. The idea is that science should be continuous discovery process - scientists are meant to be acting in good faith, not hiding or 'managing' information. If we are genuinely seeking understanding (not attempting to sell people on a particular viewpoint), why shouldn't new information be widely disseminated? Whatever has been going on, it is clear that from the start this has been a massively politicised process directing the world's governments. That it is so politicised means that I personally have very little faith in the scientific proclamations that are handed down.
- ben_w 5y ago
  Shouldn’t matter? No. Does matter? Yes. And that’s why things get politicised in the first place.
dhzhzjsbevs 5y ago
> Many people don't understand the scientific method or that science is not about certainty but about constantly learning and adjusting. This is the Fauci argument. It doesn't work. Aside from being incredibly Condescending to assume the masses are too stupid to handle the truth... All it does is open you up to criticism from people that understand basic logic. Those criticisms then spread between these "many people". On the other hand, if you told the truth up front, you might have "many people" misunderstand something, but you have the upside of the many other people being able to argue why they're wrong over the following months. Eventually truth and facts prevail. You maintain credibility with people that do understand science, and you get eventual credibility from those who misunderstand. Sure some will never change but you were going to instantly lose credibility to them either way.
- FooBarWidget 5y ago
  I am not American and I don't care about Fauci. I'm just reporting on what I observe in the Dutch discourse. This doesn't mean that I condone lying about being wrong. But it also doesn't mean that it's as easy as admitting mistakes.
  - dhzhzjsbevs 5y ago
    > I am not American and I don't care about Fauci. I'm just reporting on what I observe in the Dutch discourse. Neither here nor there. Fauci, along with most governments in the oecd lied about mask efficacy to protect mask stocks for health care workers. This was done because they didn't trust the poor stupid people with the truth. All they had to say, masks work but please leave these for health care workers as they are more at risk. Most people would have done the right thing if they just trusted them, and if not? Who cares, it's not your fucking job. > This doesn't mean that I condone lying about being wrong. But it also doesn't mean that it's as easy as admitting mistakes. Except it is? You need to trust humanity to make the right decisions when given the facts. Hiding the facts, lying, or obscuring the truth in hopes of controlling the poor stupid people is how you get a nanny state. Let idiots win the Darwin award and move on with your life.

verisimi 5y ago

It shouldn't matter how you think, or how a change of opinion is viewed. The idea is that science should be continuous discovery process - scientists are meant to be acting in good faith, not hiding or 'managing' information. If we are genuinely seeking understanding (not attempting to sell people on a particular viewpoint), why shouldn't new information be widely disseminated? Whatever has been going on, it is clear that from the start this has been a massively politicised process directing the world's governments. That it is so politicised means that I personally have very little faith in the scientific proclamations that are handed down.

ben_w 5y ago
Shouldn’t matter? No. Does matter? Yes. And that’s why things get politicised in the first place.

dhzhzjsbevs 5y ago

> Many people don't understand the scientific method or that science is not about certainty but about constantly learning and adjusting. This is the Fauci argument. It doesn't work. Aside from being incredibly Condescending to assume the masses are too stupid to handle the truth... All it does is open you up to criticism from people that understand basic logic. Those criticisms then spread between these "many people". On the other hand, if you told the truth up front, you might have "many people" misunderstand something, but you have the upside of the many other people being able to argue why they're wrong over the following months. Eventually truth and facts prevail. You maintain credibility with people that do understand science, and you get eventual credibility from those who misunderstand. Sure some will never change but you were going to instantly lose credibility to them either way.

FooBarWidget 5y ago
I am not American and I don't care about Fauci. I'm just reporting on what I observe in the Dutch discourse. This doesn't mean that I condone lying about being wrong. But it also doesn't mean that it's as easy as admitting mistakes.
- dhzhzjsbevs 5y ago
  > I am not American and I don't care about Fauci. I'm just reporting on what I observe in the Dutch discourse. Neither here nor there. Fauci, along with most governments in the oecd lied about mask efficacy to protect mask stocks for health care workers. This was done because they didn't trust the poor stupid people with the truth. All they had to say, masks work but please leave these for health care workers as they are more at risk. Most people would have done the right thing if they just trusted them, and if not? Who cares, it's not your fucking job. > This doesn't mean that I condone lying about being wrong. But it also doesn't mean that it's as easy as admitting mistakes. Except it is? You need to trust humanity to make the right decisions when given the facts. Hiding the facts, lying, or obscuring the truth in hopes of controlling the poor stupid people is how you get a nanny state. Let idiots win the Darwin award and move on with your life.