tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279973426476621559.post2403345178313270363..comments2023-04-03T05:20:01.318-04:00Comments on Young, Hip and Conservative: a skeptical blog: Does being wrong make someone stupid?Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427964335321253510noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279973426476621559.post-4158237214436171402010-11-18T15:17:30.945-05:002010-11-18T15:17:30.945-05:00I can certainly attest to the brainwashing - havin...I can certainly attest to the brainwashing - having been thoroughly brainwashed myself in both high school and college. College proves that smart people are just as susceptible to groupthink as stupid people, if not more so. The "smart kids" in school emulate their teachers, who have (in the humanities at any rate, nearly to a man) mistaken repudiation of America for intellectual inquiry.Mark Lindholmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14184361531569761797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279973426476621559.post-89384015866887418742010-04-06T01:03:33.384-04:002010-04-06T01:03:33.384-04:00I think you've missed my central point. It'...I think you've missed my central point. It's a lot easier to diagnose an idea as stupid than a person.<br /><br />Ignorance works in some cases, but not all of them. Some people have heard the right side of an issue and still reject it.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00427964335321253510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279973426476621559.post-47159506935438512272010-04-05T23:22:59.124-04:002010-04-05T23:22:59.124-04:00Perhaps "ignorant" is the better word to...Perhaps "ignorant" is the better word to be used in such situations. But that doesn't mean we ought to do away with blunt force terms such as "stupid". After all, a person may be educatable, even sometimes educated, but what matters is how any given information is transformed into knowledge.Michael Hawkinshttp://forthesakeofscience.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279973426476621559.post-91110994625270042632010-04-05T08:07:31.367-04:002010-04-05T08:07:31.367-04:00I wouldn't really call those beliefs a syndrom...I wouldn't really call those beliefs a syndrome because they share a common cause - it's more of a rejection of one valid form of evidence. There are different forms of intelligence, and not understanding the importance of the scientific method is a poor position to take - but not a medical condition.<br /><br />There are a lot of anti-science view that stem from demonizing the pharmaceutical companies - alternative medicine, anti-vaccination etc. My entire point was holding this view, which is wrong, doesn't make the entire person stupid.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00427964335321253510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279973426476621559.post-11679167899451974372010-04-04T23:44:57.227-04:002010-04-04T23:44:57.227-04:00It isn't always just a matter of individual is...It isn't always just a matter of individual issues. For many, it's a <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/03/reality_rejection_syndrome.php" rel="nofollow">syndrome</a>. They don't just reject evolution due to poor biology lessons; they reject a whole slew of things, often seemingly just for the sake of blindly promoting ideology: cloning, vaccines, physics, global warming, etc. <br /><br />I think there are some people who are genuinely stupid and that should be derived from a pattern of behavior. Sarah Palin isn't a very intelligent person as we can tell from her speeches, interviews, hand scribbled notes of triviality, and her general lack of common sense/knowledge. On the other hand, Bill O'Reilly's pattern doesn't show the same inanity. He's able to actually engage issues on an intellectual level despite sharing a number of views with Palin.Michael Hawkinshttp://forthesakeofscience.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com