Zipperfish wrote:
I've become quite interested in this subject of late. Specter attributes this distrust of progress to various scientific or techncial failures (Chernobyl, Bhopal, etc). I think there's something more fundamental involved.
First of all, in science itself, with Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, Godel's Incompleteness Theroem, Chaos Theory and the like, we find that science itself is limited--not in practice, bit in principle--to the answers it can provide. Facts become observations--no longer wholly objective, no longer certain.
Confusion lies in the word 'theorem' for many. People don't see the line between what we think is happening, and what we know is happening - because in many cases we can never really 'know'. That is the very definition of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle (you can't know an object's position or momentum with any arbitrary precision, because measuring it changes it). Godel's Incompleteness Theorem is more about Mathematics though, not science. Although it's called a 'theorem' it actually has an undisputed proof, that anyone is able to check the accuracy of for themselves.
We can only observe, and theorize, and come up with the best theory to fit observations. If someone comes up with a better theory to fit the observations, that is called 'science'.
Equal confusion lies in your last sentence. Facts and observations are the same thing. Facts are always objective and certain. That's the definition of the word.
The most important trait one can assume in todays world is the ability to discern opinion from fact. This is where many people's confusion lies I believe.
From the link I gave above:
"It's hardly a secret that large segments of the population choose not to accept scientific data because it conflicts with their predefined beliefs: economic, political, religious, or otherwise. But many studies have indicated that these same people aren't happy with viewing themselves as anti-science, which can create a state of cognitive dissonance. That has left psychologists pondering the methods that these people use to rationalize the conflict."
Zipperfish wrote:
Couple this with a rise in puritanism--not just religious puritanism but secular moral intolerance as well (this would be your "Frankenfood" opponents, for example, or the zealots among the crowd). Big Religion has always been uncomfortable with science, from Copernicus to Darwin. Witha resurgence in religion and puritanism, there is renewed vigor to tackle science. It's been pointed out that Darwin's Theory of Evolution is more controversial now than it was when it came out.
Darwin's Theory of evolution is not controversial. It is, every day, shown to be more and more accurate with every single new fossil and paleo-DNA discovery. Because of the word 'Theory' the puritans attack it as though they would a hoax or a myth. But they can't, without using the same observations or methods they seek to discredit.
Zipperfish wrote:
And finally, in an information society, we no longer have any appeal to authority. There are no universally accepted auuthorities we can rely on to provide fact (Government, Science). We're simply barraged with data, and it is left to us to develop the context that turns "data" into "information." Every "fact" is twisted and dressed up and spun in so many different and highly sophisticated ways that it is virtually impossible to separate the BS from the facts.
Yes, there are. Science is the only authority on facts. See the link I posted. This is because in the pursuit of science, it is made reproducible by anyone. Anyone is able to run through the listed procedures and see for themselves what the outcome is through experimentation and observation.
Government and religion generally gives opinions, and these are easily recognizable from facts if one uses a logical analysis of what is being said.
Zipperfish wrote:
The fact is that the very idea of a "fact" has become almost quaint.
I call it the "post-objective" society.
I call it the 'dumbed down' society. If you can't fit it into a 30 second commercial, you've exceeded people's attention span.
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