Idiots believe in idiotic claims

[Digby]

https://today.yougov.com/news/2016/12/2 ... ical-iden/

That so many have such baseless fears around vaccines is especially worrying

[rowan]

Interesting. Am I reading that right? 53% of Americans still believe Saddam was hiding WOMDs?

[Coco]

They believe in Santa Claus too... So what?

[Digby]

We know Iraq held WMDs, mostly as we sold them such arsenal. We mayn't have known what they did with all of such stock, or it might have been part of an exaggerated up claim, probably a bit of both.

Actually WMDs in Iraq or the lack thereof should be interesting to those who tend to spout conspiracy theories, in that power is generally too stupid to lie when the truth will be known to too many.

[morepork]

Wakefield should be in fucking prison. Fabricated data, abuse of autistic kids to generate false data, and a massive financial conflict of interest, yet people still spout that shit as fact. He will be noted in history as being directly responsible for avoidable deaths.

[Digby]

The lack of understanding and acceptance around peer led review in science is alarming, so too the idea one can simply dismiss the views of 'so called experts'

[morepork]

The lack of understanding and acceptance around peer led review in science is alarming, so too the idea one can simply dismiss the views of 'so called experts'

In the Utopia of the future, a PhD will hold more water in debate than an MBA or a large property portfolio. The contribution of human activity to long term anomalies in meteorological and environmental data is shaping up as the next major front line of battle. The financial sector has had it too easy for too long, and is looking increasingly like being THE major factor in the deterioration of validity in matters empirical. This will not be news to many.

[kk67]

The lack of understanding and acceptance around peer led review in science is alarming, so too the idea one can simply dismiss the views of 'so called experts'

F*ck off. Peer review as definitive ?. That would be nice.

Actually that would be nice.

[kk67]

The lack of understanding and acceptance around peer led review in science is alarming, so too the idea one can simply dismiss the views of 'so called experts'

In the Utopia of the future, a PhD will hold more water in debate than an MBA or a large property portfolio. The contribution of human activity to long term anomalies in meteorological and environmental data is shaping up as the next major front line of battle. The financial sector has had it too easy for too long, and is looking increasingly like being THE major factor in the deterioration of validity in matters empirical. This will not be news to many.

Yup.

[Digby]

The lack of understanding and acceptance around peer led review in science is alarming, so too the idea one can simply dismiss the views of 'so called experts'

F*ck off. Peer review as definitive ?. That would be nice.

Actually that would be nice.

Not as definitive, but more the best explanation we might have, and even then it wouldn't be the only input into a debate, and simply such process shouldn't be some misunderstood and/or dismissed. And of course it might be the peer led review sees a split in the field, no reason peer led review ensures agreement, though in such as climate change and vaccines we do see near universal acceptance of one broad position.