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We Need Scientific Dissidents Now More Than Ever (www.chronicle.com)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Archived version: https://archive.ph/WMU7k

Sometimes, a scientific consensus is established because vested interests have diligently and purposefully transformed a situation of profound uncertainty into one in which there appears to be overwhelming evidence for what becomes the consensus view. When a scientific consensus emerges via this accelerated process, the role of the scientific dissident is not, like Semmelweis, to carry out revolutionary science. The dissident’s role is to provide a check against epistemically detrimental and artificial consensus formation. Nevertheless, the challenges faced are similar. Never has this accelerated process unfolded with such success, and such fury, as in the case of the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

I should point out this is not my stance. However, I thought this article is a good stimulus to initiate discussion: while questioning scientific practices has led to some significant improvements despite heavy criticism at the time, how do we today justify dismissing unpopular/uncomfortable ideas while continuing to make scientific progress?

EDIT: I should point out this is not my stance. However, I thought this article is a good stimulus to initiate discussion: while questioning scientific practices has led to some significant improvements despite heavy criticism at the time, how do we today justify dismissing unpopular/uncomfortable ideas while continuing to make scientific progress?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

for anyone going straight to the comments after seeing how long it is, this is a Wuhan lab leak crazy, feel free to dismiss it

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

I should have commented in the post that it is not my view and is supposed to initiate discussion. I've edited the original post with the following question:

While questioning scientific practices has led to some significant improvements despite heavy criticism at the time, how do we today justify dismissing unpopular/uncomfortable ideas while continuing to make scientific progress?

[–] [email protected] -5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and dismiss any of the "plandemic" conspiracy theorists as complete morons, because they are. Everyone knew it started in China in a lab, it was practically common knowledge. A bunch of drooling idiots pointing at it well after that with "see we told you so" as though they were each individually the magical source of that knowledge would be comical if it weren't so sad and pathetic.

Keep your minds open, but not so open that your brains fall out. --Prof. Walter Kotschnig

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago

I love that quote and have told it to myself for many years.

"Everyone knew" is not my recollection. I remember the prevailing theory being that Chinese eat pangolins and bats and did this. Do you remember that? The secretary of state at the time said that they were certain it came from a lab and everyone mocked him. Do you remember that? Dr Fauci clearly repudiated any claim that it came from a lab, for 2 years. Do you remember that?

The idea that the virus came from a lab didn't atomically emerge in each of our heads independently. We talked about it online, showed each other evidence, waded through heaps of nonsense along the way. We were banned from the prominent discussion places online, called nutters and had articles in the most prominent publications written about how stupid we are. Do you remember that? My family called me stupid.

Now they all act as you do. "So big deal, we knew that already." But you didn't, you're pretending you did. If I had told you it was made in a lab 2 years ago you'd have called me a quack. Yet here we are, me right and you pretending you were right all along.

So, was it released on purpose? I don't know. I think so, you don't. We will see who's right, if we ever find out, but hopefully you'll have the courage and integrity by then to admit you were wrong, because I certainly will.