` Lou Ryan was just telling me that his third grade teacher asked students to vote their opinion on whether a hand fan is more efficient than an electric fan. In other words, the kids were supposed to decide upon a scientific fact by a show of hands!
` It is true that in general kids are not taught critical thinking skills by schoolteachers - in any grade. No wonder most Americans are so utterly scientifically illiterate!
` This is what makes them so easy to manipulate by politicians, and as I've mentioned many times before, a very common ploy is to say: 'Is this true? Is that true? You decide!'
` And what has spurred Lou to tell me about this to begin with? I played this video post by Marty Kaplan where he talks about MSNBC's opinion polls and how they're presented: 'Polls show that most people think that this person is right'... and that is somehow used as scientific evidence that it actually is.
` In other words, displaying the polls are a pseudoscientific ploy to help politicians win. And so, using the weight of opinions seems to have reached a new level of obviousness!
` What is the world coming to!?
Friday, July 14, 2006
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3 comments:
What indeed, Spoony.
Do you think our American Idol society has time or interest to seek out truth? It's much easier to have a closed mind and be a kool-aid drinker.
Jim Jones would be proud.
I like that guy's last question: "How many chromosomes do you think people should have?"
Ha ha! Yeah, great idea! Ask people who are encouraged to be 'Kool-Aid drinkers'....... They are, too! When W. says 'go die in my silly war game!' there are a lot of people willing to sacrifice themselves! Kool-Aid drinkers are they!
Hey, do you know what Flat-Earthers say? "You round-earth believers are ignorant beasts of the field!"
That's the way people who treat facts as if they are opinions. They think they can write off the truth as an opinion!
They think that just because they live in a democratic society that the truth can be decided on democratically!
Vote for your favorite truth!
` Preslicedly, you guys.
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