Are Objectivists Mutants
Posted by Zenphamy 8 years, 11 months ago to Philosophy
Although the linked article discusses the topic of critical thinking from the viewpoint of science based medicine vs. 'complementary and alternative medicine, I find a great deal of similarity to my thoughts concerning being an Objectivist in life as well as a member of this site, lately. From childhood till now as an senior, I've often thought that there was just something different going on in my mind than that in others' minds. I've found a very few in my life that think much like I do, but they are rare.
From the Article: All emphasis added.
"There is a huge disconnect between what science-based medicine calls evidence and what alternative medicine and the general public call evidence. They are using the same word, but speaking a different language, making communication next to impossible."
"“Alternative medicine,” along with “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM) and “integrative medicine,” is not a meaningful scientific term, but a marketing term created to lend respectability to things that we used to call by less respectable names like quackery, folk medicine, and fringe medicine." (Add Like Politics, Conservatism, Progressivism, Religion, etc. etc.)
"Today we have more sources of information, but our minds still work the old way. We prefer stories to studies, anecdotes to analyses. We see patterns where none exist. We jump to false conclusions based on insufficient evidence. Emotions trump facts. If your neighbor had a bad experience with a Toyota, you’re likely to remember his story and not buy a Toyota even if Consumer Reports says it’s the most reliable brand. That isn’t logical, but humans are not Vulcans. When we act illogically, we’re just doing what evolution has equipped us to do. It takes a lot of education and discipline to overcome our natural tendencies, and not everyone can do it."
"Ray Hyman is a psychologist and one of the founders of modern skepticism. When I asked him why some people become skeptics and others don’t, he said he thinks skeptics are mutants: something has evolved in our brains to facilitate critical thinking."
So, are we mutants? If we are, will we succeed into the future and become a successful branch of humanity? Or will we continue helping our non-mutated cousins not face extinction, even if inadvertently?
From the Article: All emphasis added.
"There is a huge disconnect between what science-based medicine calls evidence and what alternative medicine and the general public call evidence. They are using the same word, but speaking a different language, making communication next to impossible."
"“Alternative medicine,” along with “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM) and “integrative medicine,” is not a meaningful scientific term, but a marketing term created to lend respectability to things that we used to call by less respectable names like quackery, folk medicine, and fringe medicine." (Add Like Politics, Conservatism, Progressivism, Religion, etc. etc.)
"Today we have more sources of information, but our minds still work the old way. We prefer stories to studies, anecdotes to analyses. We see patterns where none exist. We jump to false conclusions based on insufficient evidence. Emotions trump facts. If your neighbor had a bad experience with a Toyota, you’re likely to remember his story and not buy a Toyota even if Consumer Reports says it’s the most reliable brand. That isn’t logical, but humans are not Vulcans. When we act illogically, we’re just doing what evolution has equipped us to do. It takes a lot of education and discipline to overcome our natural tendencies, and not everyone can do it."
"Ray Hyman is a psychologist and one of the founders of modern skepticism. When I asked him why some people become skeptics and others don’t, he said he thinks skeptics are mutants: something has evolved in our brains to facilitate critical thinking."
So, are we mutants? If we are, will we succeed into the future and become a successful branch of humanity? Or will we continue helping our non-mutated cousins not face extinction, even if inadvertently?
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I left him, quit the Statins and found another Dr. The new Dr. knew of the rare results, did some tests and concluded that I was correct. I still have some residual numbness in my toes, but I've had no other related problems. That Dr. asked me how I'd figured out my problem and I answered that through a Masters and a year in a PhD program, that I'd probably done as much research as he had--just in a different area of science.
The silliest situation I've encountered was being sent to a dietician for advise only to find that she was damn near a 300 pounder and maybe 5'4".
I'm in no way critical of your point, but I find that just an education and a profession does not automatically confer or imply the ability of 'critical thinking'. It's a lot of work.
Welcome to the Argument from Authority, in this case “establishment” medical wisdom dispensed by government force. “Mainstream” medicine is nothing more than theories and treatments approved by medical licensing boards and the FDA. Doctors who challenge this conventional wisdom can lose their licenses and be forced out of business. Look how many decades it took for the “mainstream” explanation of the cause of peptic ulcers to be overturned.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/thewrongst...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_M...
It’s typical of this kind of propaganda to label any non-mainstream medical theory as “questionable” or “quackery”. While there is plenty of actual quackery to go around, there is also plenty of legitimate science that has not gained acceptance by those who wield the power in the medical community. If we had a free market in health care articles such as this one would not matter, but until that day arrives it’s best to be as skeptical about “conventional” medicine as we are about “alternative” medicine. In both cases, health care consumers need to shop carefully.
I like your answer.
A mind truly is a terrible thing to waste.
Once one has conceived and accepted that “a posteriori” is superior to “a priori” much of the world seems mad.
Mutant..some would say, awakened, enlightened... Nature--- nurture...
Whatever. Badge of honor.
O.A.
In addition, humans have imagination. Imagination is supreme in the arts. But it can be a deterrent to science. We as a race love stories, and often, the more imaginative the story, the more we tend to accept them. That is one reason why the majority of Homo Sapiens loses the sapiens part when told a good story as an explanation of what our senses tell us. The bible and religions are cases in point.
If it's the Mutants who are the skeptics, they are also the imaginers. For they are the one who are willing to discard the usual for the new and prove the new to be better. The 20th century is filled with such examples, the greatest of which is probably the work of the patent clerk, Albert Einstein.
As far as i can see civil servants never make mistakes individually, it is always someone else. But as always we can fit that claim, but as you and I know that never happens.
Or open up your nearest Dictionary ...Not Fictionary. DDD - Dictionary.
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