Science Deniers are Everywhere

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My father-in-law is a science denier! I don't know him very well as he lives several states away, but he visited last weekend and somehow the subject came up and I heard it right out of his polite and soft spoken mouth.
I started contradicting him but realized I'd better just let it go. He's so nice and kind and the kids love him and if I'd continued I'd have said some pretty harsh things. I just dropped it and so did he. Our conversations must be limited to the weather and gas mileage and the quality of our garden vegetables, otherwise it will end in a fist fight.
I'm not asking for a solution, I realize there is no way to change someone else's mind. But it's so discouraging to hear these things come from an otherwise intelligent and reasonable person. here are a few examples (paraphrased).
The Earth is only 8 or 10 thousand years old.
There was no ice age
Dinosaurs walked the Earth with Adam and Eve
The Flood killed all of the "evil" animals
Carbon dating doesn't really work
and the last straw, the one that made me shut my mouth
Math only works sometimes

I'm just venting, so thanks for listening, your comments are welcome.

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@TomTomBinks,

There are science deniers all around. I get very frustrated with liberals who call conservatives "science deniers" and yet themselves make claims that are quite unsupported by science. There are relatively few people who accept science even when it conflicts with their own political bubble.

Do you believe that GMOs are unsafe?

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@TomTomBinks,

TomTomBinks wrote:

I started contradicting him but realized I'd better just let it go.

I think that's very wise. Some people aren't interested in the truth. My dad is just the same, not a science denier but convinced he's an expert on stuff he knows nothing about. We had a row about Al Qaida, he insisted they were Shia Muslims, not Sunni, and he knows because he's been to Kuwait. He also said Sweeny Todd was a historical figure. Was he grateful when I gave him print outs from Wikipedia confirming Sweeny Todd was fictional and that Al Qaida were Sunni Muslims? Was he ****.

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@TomTomBinks,

TomTomBinks wrote:

Science Deniers are Everywhere

They are. And it's pretty freaky when you run into a hard core denier. Hard to know where to start with them.

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In my experience, it's no different than speaking to religious fanatics or ideological/political partisans. You can't talk to those who deny that the climate is warming, even if you try to reasonably point out that the evidence is that this has happened time and time and time and time again in history. You can't talk to those who rant about genetically modified plants, even though "golden rice" has saved the lives of more than half a million children every year since its introduction. You can't talk to vaccination freaks, you can't talk to any of these clowns.

The wost thing is, you can't just pop them in the mouth and walk away.

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@Setanta,

Is that the rice change that has helped in Asia? Me, get the use of gmo products. I'm not wild about Roundup but we specified it in a few situations back in the late eighties.

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@Setanta,

Setanta wrote:

You can't talk to those who rant about genetically modified plants, even though "golden rice" has saved the lives of more than half a million children every year since its introduction.

I don't rant about GM food; I just prefer not to eat it, partly because of some companies' (e.g. Monsanto's) business practices. It's got nothing to do with science either way.

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@centrox,

Quote:

It's got nothing to do with science either way.

When people say that GMOs are unsafe, or that they are bad for the environment, in ways that are contradicted by scientific research... it has everything to do with science.

Liberals more likely to have faith in organic food, and homeopathy, than conservatives (in spite of the lack of scientific evidence), and to make un-scientific claims about nuclear power and environmental concerns.

And of course, we haven't start to touch on social sciences... a field that is completely distorted by political ideology.

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@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

Liberals more likely to have faith in organic food, and homeopathy, than conservatives (in spite of the lack of scientific evidence), and to make un-scientific claims about nuclear power and environmental concerns.

And of course, we haven't start to touch on social sciences... a field that is completely distorted by political ideology.

A demonstration that talking out of your ass produces mainly ****.

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@maxdancona,

This post is babel.

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@centrox,

Would you like to demonstrate that liberals are capable of being open minded, accepting facts that don't fit into their ideology, or using facts (rather than insults) to back up their points?

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@centrox,

centrox wrote:

I just prefer not to eat it

Like I won't eat crate-reared veal, or foie gras produced by gavage or ducks {they are cute). It's a purely emotional/aesthetic preference. I don't give a toss about the science.

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@ossobucotemp,

Please explain Osso. Do you really believe that liberals are innocent when it comes to denying science?

Science doesn't have a political ideology.

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@maxdancona,

Don't lecture me about science, twerp.

I have no idea what all liberals think.

In my time in labs, we blabbered sometimes, sort of a rondolay. Occasionally arguered.

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@ossobucotemp,

I also remember you lecturing me, something about biology not being real science.

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@ossobucotemp,

ossobucotemp wrote:

I also remember you lecturing me, something about biology not being real science.

I think you are remembering wrong. If I ever said that it was in jest. I do believe that much of what passes as psychology is decidedly bad science.

Do you have a link to where I said any such thing?

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@ossobucotemp,

I don't know how I am offending you Osso that you have to resort (again) to silly name calling. You haven't answered any of my points.

I am arguing that often liberals deny science just as conservatives do. Do you disagree with this point? I have given several examples where political liberals have rejected scientific consensus. Do you have any facts to support whatever point you have to make?

Science does not have a political ideology. It is a bit surprising how much resistance there is to what seems like an obvious point.

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You've got your good science and you've got your bad science, like everything else. There are many many sincere scientists intent on doing good work. Then you have the ones that sell their souls to corporate interests and are no better than Bernie Madoff. Just because it has the label of 'science' on it does not make it automatically beneficial. Not even getting into the ones devising methods of mass destruction. Dividing it into political scuffles is usually just the starter of the argument expressing personal prejudice.

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@centrox,

I agree completely that corporate business practices with regard to their GMOs are despicable.

Science Deniers are Everywhere

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