"The human understanding is no dry light, but receives infusion from the will and affections; whence proceed sciences which may be called 'sciences as one would.' For what a man had rather were true he more readily believes. Therefore he rejects difficult things from impatience of research; sober things, because they narrow hope; the deeper things of nature, from superstition; the light of experience, from arrogance and pride; things not commonly believed, out of the deference to the opinion of the vulgar. Numberless in short are the ways, and sometimes imperceptible, in which the affections color and infect the understanding." Sir Francis Bacon, NOVUM ORGANON (1620)
"A clairvoyance gap with adversary nations is announced, and the Central Intelligence Agency, under Congressional prodding, spends tax money to find out whether submarines in the ocean depths can be located by *thinking hard* at them."
Both quotes from "The Demon-Haunted World: Science As A Candle in the Dark," chapter 12 - "The Fine Art of Baloney Detection," Sir Francis Bacon's quote is in the chapter intro.
Sciences as one would: Sir Francis Bacon was part of Thomas Jefferson's "Trinity of Three Greatest Men." That simple fact of history is clouded by the David Barton's of the world that would have history as they would; science as they would and magical thinking as salvation.
This is the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. It's larger than I remember as a young boy. My elementary class visited it. It was a lot different then than this current photo. I'm not sure it was the faux conservative Steven Colbert referring to North Carolinian's as bumpkins or the documentary on climate change that caused its censor - or both.
This is Alayna Wyland:
The tumor on her innocent and beautiful 18-month-old face with its remainder of an eye, the result of zealous parents, apparently so invested in faith healing they put their child in jeopardy. Cosmetic surgery will reconstruct her face. She'll have to adjust her depth of focus; lateral vision for the rest of her days; a prosthetic versus a genetically-generated eye. Numerous other parents have similarly endangered their offspring as well (see the link).
For what a man had rather were true he more readily believes. Therefore he rejects difficult things from impatience of research; sober things, because they narrow hope; the deeper things of nature, from superstition; the light of experience, from arrogance and pride; things not commonly believed, out of the deference to the opinion of the vulgar.
There should be no need to rearrange recorded history for one's authoritarian whims. There should be no departure of critical thinking skills and science reason to push an agenda. There should be no endangerment of the environment, the planet, children, the geopolitical balance of nations...but, there appears to be a danger in this charade, essentially this "science as one would." An actual fabrication of facts appears to have addled a few of us; the casualties are young, old, all of us. Pray...and take your medicine. Pray...and go to the doctor. Bedouins had not the advantage of professionals certified by the AMA; priests gave up prognosticating weather conditions long ago. Learn real, not pseudoscience because its conclusions challenge your beliefs. A great many questions and motivations science is bereft of talents to handle: abolition, birth ceremonies, charity to the needy, last rites, The Underground Railroad, the March on Washington. I'm frustrated with modern-day Charlatans encouraging us all to chase chimeras outside of their lane of expertise, usually to sell a product of snake oil.
I've come to the sad conclusion from some exchanges with trolls on the Internet, firm residents in the dimension of the fantasy-based community that facts - those pesky things - don't really matter. This willful ignorance appears corporately and individually to affect us all as a species. We're in the life-threatening danger of "sciences as one would" and the "opinion of the vulgar," our common sense lost near the cereal box next to the AM talk radio blathering nonsensically nostalgic utopia.
We've lost our baloney detection kits to our own peril.
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