• Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    5 months ago

    True, but I feel like this should be saved for the dumbest of the dumb. Too much cringe has been created by things like Rational Wiki inadvertently getting otherwise intelligent people to believe that doing science is just the ability to shout the name of a fallacy you feel your opponent has committed, whilst oversimplifying anything you don’t understand until it sounds stupid… Ya know like Evangelical Fundementalists do to defend their biblical literalism?

    It has culminated into a behavior I like to call the Fallacy Fallacy

    It leads to shit like this

    Normal Person: The doctor says I have cancer, but it’s still treatable, so I should take this medicine, it’s expensive, but it’ll be worth it.

    Scientism Worshipper: I dunno, you think you have cancer because the doctor told you? Sounds like an appeal to authority. Normal Person: Look, my aunt ignored her diagnosis and she was terminal within weeks and dead within days after that. I’m not taking any chance

    Scientism Worshipper: Hrmm… So the only thing that has you trusting this doctor is anecdotal evidence?

    Normal Person: You’re right! These meds are too expensive anyway -Weeks Later-

    Scientism Later: Well my friend is dead

    Third Party: Because you killed him, he died because he didn’t take his medicine…

    Scientism Worshipper: CORRELATION IS NOT CAUSATION YOU BIBLE-THUMPER! GO BACK TO WORSHIPPING YOUR SKY-DADDY SHEEPLE!

    That’s a Strawman in and of itself, but you get my point

    Now it may sound like “Well, I guess we shouldn’t question the science then.”

    No, always question the science, that’s how you do science. The problem comes when you think you’ve mastered the science so well (despite evidence to the contrary) that you refuse to let what you know to be questioned.

        • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          5 months ago

          It sounds to me like they should be at the “stfu and listen to science” little kids’ table if they’re in danger of falling victim to superstitious bullshit.