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I really hoped that there was something more substantial than name-dropping before dismissing people's opinions.

• haswell 3y ago
  Are people’s opinions being dismissed here? I find it unsurprising that many people have no direct awareness of the underlying science behind basic things. That lack of awareness is not an indictment of the science or even the unaware person. Most of us know almost nothing about the world around us relatively speaking. We behave as if we know, but for the most part we’re just repeating/perpetuating beliefs embedded by the current iteration of culture. Direct knowledge is increasingly rare.
  • blackbear_ 3y ago
    Yes I completely agree with you. I just don't think that knowing scientists names is a good proxy for having direct knowledge, as the post I originally replied to seemed to imply.
    • kragen 3y ago
      i think it is. in any area that i know well, i can name some important ideas, who came up with them, what their arguments were, who was opposed, what arguments they presented against those positions, and so on if you can't name any papers or authors you probably can't explain any of the arguments in the papers either, and if you happen to have chosen the correct authorities to put your trust in, that's most likely purely a question of luck, not epistemic virtue