On Sun, 3 Feb 2019 at 16:25, Alok Prasanna Kumar <[email protected]> wrote:
> Thanks Kiran. I think that's a really great way to put things. I've been > thinking about this in multiple contexts, especially when scientific > research and findings are reported in mass media. It's quite easy for > people to "debunk" claims when they haven't understood them in the first > place and that's why I guess it's really important to understand how the > scientific method works. > > Although the scientific world has made the world comprehendable, I do feel > a section of the populace have replaced priests in their lives with > scientists. Or treating scientists as priests, which is possibly worse (Jordan Peterson). Even worse is when reputation in one field somehow confers scientific credentials (Gwyneth Paltrow). > That instead of understanding the method and the principles > behind a finding, they rely on the authority of the person or the prestige > of the institution carrying out the research. > Name dropping should prick up everybody's ears. Being a successful practitioner of the scientific method does not (and should not) allow you to subvert it at your convenience or to your advantage.
