Re: Evolution Deniers: A sociological perspective

What comes first? The absurd belief and then the "fitting in". Or the "fitting in" and then the absurd belief. Sociologists say the latter, i say the former.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• sociology
• bill
• maher
• evolution
• philosophy
• christianity
• idiots

[Wikimedian]

I suppose your perspective applies aptly to yourself, kudos. Sometimes a moron is just a moron.

[unassumption]

Darwin was while progressive for his time quite the racist, as is evident from the descent of man; does that culturally widespread belief being held make him stupid? Pascall was a genius in so many fields that his excessive belief in god seems absurd. Heissenburg seemed to be a pantheist. Etc. I can hardly think of one intelligent person who didn't have some wacked out beliefs.

REMEMBER - You almost certainly have at least one crazy retarded belief. like all these geniuses did before you.

[unassumption]

The sun seems to go around the world, which doesn't seem to be made of atoms but macroscopic objects, and life doesn't seem to have evolved. A lot of the time, things aren't as they imidiately seem in a local context, you often have to dig deeper to explain everything especially if you want to do it quantitively. The hypothesis that people have some social reason for accepting these wacky beliefs is worth investigating - but not believing until you've done some kind of experement to back it up.

[unassumption]

they might reinforce each other?

its not really that much of a contradiction - linus pauling thought vitamin c could cure cancer, newton was a biblical numerologist - people have some stupid beliefs and some smart ones, the person can't be judged on one belief they hold however crazy. however holding one mad belief tends to get you in subcultures that hold lots of other wierd ones.

[SecularTalk]

Oh i see what you're saying

[slackeriii]

Oh .. you actually meant that so as to point out the irony in my comments ..right ...no. I said 'it has comedic value' as in 'I'm laughing with you, not at you'.

[slackeriii]

It really does, I remember laughing out loud at the 'morons' part.

What I was trying to say though was that if you try to educate someone about something, then, by insulting said someone you thereby sabotage your attempt at educating him/her.

In other words I didn't mean you shouldn't talk down to people (eww), but rather don't do it if that's not your main incentive.

[SecularTalk]

Ha. "Don't talk down to people!" followed by "your video has comedic value."

[slackeriii]

I actually did like the video though, it thought it has comedic value.

[slackeriii]

Think about what I said, and then consider this: Do you really think ~50% of Americans, or 150 MILLION people are ALL retarded enough to genuinely believe that DINOSAURS lived 6000 years ago, or is it that for some of them this is just their way of defending their dignity after being talked down to for being undecided? If some bitch brainwashes her kid with creationism, and the kid is later met with this kind of hostility for his beliefs, what do you honestly think will happen in his head?