"Science isn’t the sum of what scientists think. Had science operated by majority consensus we would be still stuck in the Middle Ages and Einstein would have ended as he started, a patent clerk with fruitless side hobbies." — Nassim Nicholas Taleb
-
-
Replying to @Plinz
This reminds me of the output of that Deepak Chopra comment generator
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @RitaJKing
I think that he is right, though. In the scholastic middle ages, truth was political: a theory had not necessarily to be epistemologically correct, but conform to pious values and authority. So science languished. Chopra is beelining directly for pious audience approval.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @Plinz
Science languishes now (in some ways, in other ways the genie is out of the bottle) for the same reason. Funding agencies being unwilling to accept risk or failure, for example.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @RitaJKing
Science seems to flourish in waves (renaissance, enlightenment, positivism, modernism). At the moment, I see a lot of amazing progress in narrow domains, but it is drowned out in the general din. Perhaps because everything else is so loud now?
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @Plinz
I am amazed every day by advances made in science. What we lack is the will to take a widespread interest (easier to get whipped into an emotional frenzy) and a consistent delivery system to get advances flourishing in a timely fashion in an archaic healthcare system.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @RitaJKing
Yes, which is why the notion of a general human "we" in science is absurd. The folks that really care about getting it right are always a tiny minority.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @Plinz
Most people don't care how the light goes on when they flip the switch, or how their food stays cold in the fridge, or heats up in the oven, or how medicine works. Most don't think about the flickering flame of consciousness on this rock in space.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
Most people find it offensive if someone pursues truth in an area where the socially preferred way of thinking is settled.
-
-
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.