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The US was decisive in defeating Nazi Germany, in no small part due to its science and mathematics. And if Nazi Germany had held on for longer, the atomic bomb

The US was decisive in defeating Nazi Germany, in no small part due to its science and mathematics. And if Nazi Germany had held on for longer, the atomic bomb would have defeated them too, with a large number of exiled scientists. Pre-war, much of the scientific literature was in German, especially chemistry. These days it's all in English.

Vektorceraptor 1y ago
And now it’s falling apart from within due to ideas from the humanities? Where do we even place the temporal benchmark for progress and why do we call it progress in the first place? Let’s be concrete: Since when has science been driven by the fear of being left behind? And since when has knowledge become the only thing that holds value in a society?
- epistasis 1y ago
  > And now it’s falling apart from within due to ideas from the humanities? No, absolutely not. > Since when has science been driven by the fear of being left behind? That has been one of the major driving forces of science throughout the 20th century, whether by hot or Cold War. > And since when has knowledge become the only thing that holds value in a society? It has never need the case, and this statement is a complete straw man. This is a very strange comment, completely disconnected from any reality that I can recognize.
  - Vektorceraptor 1y ago
    [flagged]
    - apical_dendrite 1y ago
      You yourself said that you don't know basic 20th century history, and you're calling other people ignorant? Unbelievable.
      - Vektorceraptor 1y ago
        Because unlike many others, I don't pretend to be all-knowing and all-good. Overconfidence, assertive dominance, and shared convictions often stem from, or lead to, ignorance. But if you don't believe me, than check out this powerful quote by Bertrand Russell: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/11098838-oligarchies-throughout-past-history-have-always-thought-more-of-their https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/11098838-oligarchies-throug...

Vektorceraptor 1y ago

And now it’s falling apart from within due to ideas from the humanities? Where do we even place the temporal benchmark for progress and why do we call it progress in the first place? Let’s be concrete: Since when has science been driven by the fear of being left behind? And since when has knowledge become the only thing that holds value in a society?

epistasis 1y ago
> And now it’s falling apart from within due to ideas from the humanities? No, absolutely not. > Since when has science been driven by the fear of being left behind? That has been one of the major driving forces of science throughout the 20th century, whether by hot or Cold War. > And since when has knowledge become the only thing that holds value in a society? It has never need the case, and this statement is a complete straw man. This is a very strange comment, completely disconnected from any reality that I can recognize.
- Vektorceraptor 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - apical_dendrite 1y ago
    You yourself said that you don't know basic 20th century history, and you're calling other people ignorant? Unbelievable.
    - Vektorceraptor 1y ago
      Because unlike many others, I don't pretend to be all-knowing and all-good. Overconfidence, assertive dominance, and shared convictions often stem from, or lead to, ignorance. But if you don't believe me, than check out this powerful quote by Bertrand Russell: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/11098838-oligarchies-throughout-past-history-have-always-thought-more-of-their https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/11098838-oligarchies-throug...