fishonjazz
Well-Known Member
Contributor
2018 Award Winner
2019 Award Winner
20-21 Award Winner
2022 Award Winner
2023 Award Winner
2024 Award Winner
2025 Award Winner
Good post WesI’m not a fan of scientism. I’m also not a fan of scientific materialism. And could go on all day on that subject. (But won’t, ever, on this forum, lol). Still, I don’t think my philosophy on that subject is relevant here, I am no enemy of the scientific method as a tool, and I think the Surgeon General is offering good advice in his address yesterday, so am not letting my personal attitude toward science as a sacred cow get in the way. I don’t think the misinformation/disinformation regarding vaccines is helping at all. But if you were to prefer to trust the anti-vaccine information(not suggesting you are), that’s your business. I think what he’s saying is simply an attitude that many “men of science” would have; I mean if it’s just an appeal from authority, I still do trust his info more than the anti-vaccine crowd. And I can still retain my anti-scientism frame of mind, while accepting that speaking out against anti-vaccine disinfo is a good thing. I do realize you and I are speaking of different things here, in actuality, and getting into it would not be relevant to the subject of vaccine disinfo…..
But, briefly, and as an aside, I really have always interpreted the dictum “follow the science” as shorthand for “apply the scientific method and allow the facts to lead the way to an answer”. I really have never interpreted it to mean “worship the science”. So I guess we disagree there as well, you seem to be actually using an innocent saying that simply is shorthand for “follow the facts, follow the evidence where it leads” to a place it simply does not usually lead. “Follow the science”=“Treat Science as a deity” is not the first equation that comes to mind. On the one hand, I know what you are cautioning against, but in this instance it actually seems silly, IMHO, it likely does not even apply in the sense you suggest, and just shows that your mind works different. At least different than my mind. Nothing wrong with that, but makes it difficult to connect with you at times, and I can understand why The Thriller would give up trying…..
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app