Nonsense and the Scientific Mind
It’s uncomfortable having to admit our mental limitations.
The greatest benefit of real science is understanding we know some things, don’t know most things, and that some things we think we know are either only partly true or completely false.
This means scientists must be both skeptical and truth-telling people who continually fight the urge to pretend that nonsense makes any sense whatsoever. Certainly, at cocktail parties they might be inclined to be agreeable and put up with nonsense, but in their day jobs they serve society best when they give no quarter for casual, even popular misinformation.
Of course not every scientist is scientific in their thinking.
Many work for non-scientific business bosses and politicians who pay them directly or indirectly in order to have them construct a “popular science” that enables products and services to be sold.
Here’s a tip.
Never believe the research any company performs on its own products, especially if in the ads, people are wearing lab coats. It’s likely all nonsense.
And don’t fall for the lie that four out of five doctors or dentists agree on anything having to do with products you get to watch on TV.
But scientists do not have a corner on needing to live in the truth.
Critical thinking is an important skill for all adults to master, especially if their children are to enjoy a normal childhood and for their marriages to last.
Because some people hate living in the grey zone that requires the frequent humble admission of uncertainty, they might instead look for answers from some charismatic character promising knowledge and power beyond the reach of most mortals.
This is how many find their way into a cult or the occult.
Thinking is hard. At first, It seems easier to trust “experts.”