A thought-provoking piece, from a scientist-educator's point of view, about how to counter the LandoLakes * ("easy to spread") culture, intent on disseminating conspiracy theories and other disinformation through social media platforms embopress.org/doi/full/10.1...
Selected highlights:
Conspiracy theorists nowadays have free rein on social media to propagate untruths and distortions. And science is a frequent target, especially where experimentally verifiable data contradicts long-held beliefs or seems opposed to a deeply rooted ideology. But, even if science follows no ideology other than a fundamental commitment to truth, ensuring that truth prevails is an enormous task in which we frequently appear to be failing.
Much of the effort in informing at least the coming generation about the above issues and many others has to come through high schools, where students are still exposed to a wide portfolio of subjects, in contrast to the specializations of college and university studies.
We need to earn the respect of our audience, not just try to impress them with stuff they cannot follow or they do not care about. Otherwise, we are just behaving as the despised elite and reinforcing the prejudices we seek to counteract.
And it does not stop with teaching the “facts” of science. It must begin with something much more fundamental: the scientific method, how one goes about planning an experiment and analyzing the results, and the ways in which scientific findings are communicated, disseminated, challenged, and reconfirmed.
Teachers must be prepared not only to say how all the above is done or should be done, but also explain what mechanisms exist for identifying and preventing potential bias. How do we make sure that peer-review is not simply the elite validating its own prejudices?
Thus, we—and all the teachers who do the heavy lifting—need to explain not just the content of what we publish, but the universally applied criteria for validating our findings—controls, statistics, replication—and the mechanisms behind publication.
And I would go even further. If these practices that define how we conduct ourselves as professional scientists cannot be explained and justified to a class of inquisitive 15-year-olds, then they must be changed.
* Land o' Lakes: a brand of butter with added olive oil and salt
* Land o' Lakes: a settlement in west-central Florida **
** Florida, a state whose surgeon-general was reported to have made televised statements aligned with QAnon et al, concerning mRNA vaccines and face masks in the context of the Covid pandemic tampabay.com/news/florida-p...
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bennevisplace
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Don't despise the elites. Do your best to become one of them. Unfortunately our European mentality is holding us back big time in this effort. As far as this is concerned I like the US mentality much more. Failure should not be a shame. Not trying again after one - should be.
I think I see where you're pointing Leo. It seems to be in a different direction.
But putting our respective lines of thought together...
...If you google "how many times does the average millionaire go broke", multiple sources will return the exact same figure: 3.5 times. Which leads me to suspect URBAN MYTH OF UNKOWN ORIGIN, OFTEN QUOTED AS "FACT". It may have its origins in bankruptcy records some time in the mid twentieth century, when a million USD was a very large fortune and an individual had to take enormous risks and a lot of time to build up a business that was worth that much. Nowadays, you can make a million by posting a bunch of home videos on YouTube or TikTok.
What I meant to say is that where I live many people don't even try to hit the ball out of the park because they are afraid of failing and then being ridiculed by the community. Like failing at doing something was a shame. They feel it is much safer to be part of the herd of sheep and not sticking their necks out. That's the legacy of Communism where it was easy to get one's head chopped off figuratively speaking (but not only, during the 50's) if you stuck your neck out too far. But I read somewhere that it is the same in Germany and not only in the eastern part. Traditionalism, conservatism, or lack of innovative drive, whatever.
I do see that conservative way of thinking in Germany, where my wife is from. There and in other parts of Europe I think it's inherited from our parents who suffered the long lean years of WWII and its aftermath. "Hold on to what you have and don't risk losing it". For some reason the Brits have put all their faith in property as a capital investment and will borrow to the hilt to acquire it. Ask them to do the same to fund a good business idea, or a national asset, and that's a different story.
What strikes me as a genuine shame is when people are persuaded by reputable financial institutions to deposit their savings into funds that subsequently collapse because, as it transpires, the assets and the risk levels attached were nothing like what the institution stated them to be, meanwhile the financial regulator was looking the other way, and all those professionals were pocketing huge bonuses, thanks very much and tough luck chum.
Yes. , Because financial education is not part of the curriculum. The public at large has no idea about it. Then they are easy prey to the unscrupulous few who do. There is a fix, but not an easy one, it requires work. It's called educating oneself. But who likes education these days when all they need to know is up there on Facebook and all they need to do is follow some influencers. I have a feeling that the more information we have available at our fingertips the more stupid we as a population are becoming.
PS Today one million USD would enable you to rent Richard Branson's Caribbean retreat for a week, with a generous allowance for food and drink for you and your 47 guests virginlimitededition.com/en... Airfares extra, though I'm sure RB would cut you a deal on Virgin Airlines.
Branson suffers from dyslexia and ADHD. With academic failure on his record, he started his first business aged 16. On his last day at school, his headmaster told him he would either end up in prison or become a millionaire. Branson is a billionaire and until now has no criminal conviction.
Two school boys in Greece back in the '60s go to elementary school together and are best friends. One of them is the best in the class the other one is barely pulling through. They go separate ways, one goes to University the other one enters the job market once he finishes high school. They lose contact but meet 25 years later. The good student is the captain of one of the largest ocean going ships in the world. Guess who's the other one. He's the owner of the company 😁. And this is a real life story too.
My source is a port captain I talked to who worked for the same owner with the same master. But it was long ago, I forgot the names. 😔 The story was a company legend.
Interesting conversation between you and LeoPa, though quite a long way from the original post which I had hoped, (in vein), would guide me, rather than future generations, towards a way of rationally debating and dissuading the ever increasing numbers of conspiracy theories and theorists. Never mind, back to reliable sources and fact checkers.
The discussion about cultural differences and the reasons for them, all valid, begs the question, is it education, parenting, societal norms or something else. Your example about Richard Branson, a Brit, flies in the face of a generalisation, though in his case was it his mental differences, luck (Mike Oldfield and Tubular Bells), or something else. Bit of each is my guess.
Many books have been written on how to succeed as an entrepreneur. Luck obviously comes into it, maybe every budding millionaire needs their Mike Oldfield moment. The ability to bounce back when luck fails is another: self belief, determination, bloody-mindedness? There's another essential quality: nous, the English slang word, which some people seem to be born with and have in spades, while others don't and have to settle for good exam grades and a safe job.
A lot of successful entrepreneurs seem to be self taught, whether or not they were any good academically. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were apparently no slouches in the classroom, though possibly they struggled in subjects that didn't interest them (history was my bete noir, so dull as presented back then). I actually did a module in the subject at business school where I learned that a PhD was practically a ticket to failure as an entrepreneur (it may have been worded differently). I don't have a PhD, neither am I an entrepreneur.
Bill Gates has Asperger’s, Branson and Jobs ADHD, same for Einstein, Walt Disney & Micheal Phelps. It’s not simply coincidence me thinks! Not all brains are wired the same, but what they have in common is thinking outside the box. No doubt luck does play a part but Malcolm Gladwell called it the advantages of disadvantage.
The former swimmer is the most decorated Olympian ever. Net worth $100m He’s one of the highest paid athletes in the world, and most definitely one of the highest paid Olympians of all time. Not an obvious entrepreneur, I know!
My guess would be that very few of the most successful entrepreneurs read a book on how to become one before they did. I fell into the category of good exam grades and a safe job (actually not such good grades and as it turned out not such a safe job). I had two opportunities to be adventurous, if I had pursued one I would have been a millionaire (when that meant something), if the other I would have been bankrupted. I 'm not sorry I took neither.
If farmer who sits on his porch rocking chair and watches the pigs crawl under the fence and is happy with who he is, he has all the rest of us beat that are not happy with who we are.
Change has accelerated over my lifetime and this makes people uncomfortable. People react differently to the faster pace of change. Some try to harken back to the good old days while others adapt to some but not all of the changes.
It is not only technological change but the impacts of our use of technology that has put on a strain on people. For example, people with like minds can find each other and reinforce their views or interests. This is good in some cases. I see little harm in sharing crochet patterns or YouTube videos on how to fix dishwashers.
There is likely harm in people diving together down rabbit holes and believing really ridiculous theories. Or supporting a very skewed vision of “others” should behave. These aspects of technology are frightening.
I use many apps but I don’t know how to develop one. I’m startled when I meet someone who does not have a smartphone or use any apps at all.
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So sick of COVID conspiracy theorists!!
Antibodies and vaccines 
