Posted on 05/24/2015 5:14:05 PM PDT by DeweyCA
I like the cartoon, except the 95% stat was itself phony...in that the question asked was not any where near the demarcation point between the believers and the skeptics...essentially they counted the skeptics as their own. Was skewed so badly it had to be intentional...was disgusting.
Money, control, and fervent ideology.
The major role of scientists today is to confirm the beliefs of those who pay for the science. — Captain Compassion
That the issue the NY Times is oblivious too... The Times and media in general had a preferred outcome so the answer bias was built in from the start
Remember the old true story of the horse that seem could do math by tapping its hoof the number of times for the answer?...ever one even the owner thought the horse was doing it.
But turned out the horse was just reacting to the tension in the crowd...
Ask the horse 3+4...the crowd and owner would tense up as the question was asked waiting to see if the horse would give correct the answer
horse feeling the tension would start tapping its hoof random number of times..when the crowd and owner heard the the correct answer they would relax.
and the horse feeling the reaction of crowd would stop tapping its hoof.
The liberal media and popular science have this horse and crowd relationship influencing the results
From President Eisenhower's farewell address.
Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers. The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present -- and is gravely to be regarded.Eisenhower hit dead center with that warning.Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.
A lot of good stuff is being done all the time. A lot of crap is also published, usually to promote a sponsor. It takes too long but things eventually even out to the embarrassment of the grifters.
NYT discussing fraud? Really close to home for them.
Ike was one smart man.
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