Is Mainstream Science Blind?
…Or just refusing to see?
Is mainstream science blind? In a narrow but critical way, the simple answer is, “Yes.” But it might be more about refusing to see…
By David Stone
Assorted Ideas, Large & Small
Ignorance as an act of faith
We take for granted that science is based on hard evidence, facts and experiments. That’s how science sold itself as the source of truth, and it’s a trust we all depend on.
But we’re wrong.
A pillar of science is based — shakily — on faith, and it’s no more trustworthy than any other religion.
Way back in 1981, David Wallechinsky and Irving Wallace called it out in The People’s Almanac. Scientism, the set of beliefs on which modern science rests, makes it as much a religion as any other.
I covered some of this in Big Things We Don’t Know, but there’s one scientific belief so far off base — and so righteously adhered to — it pisses me off every time I catch a whiff of it.
Mainstream Science — Stupid, Arrogant or Blind?
In a Scientific American article, the author quotes a “prominent physicist” at a recent conference:
“These ideas must be true even without experimental testimony in their favor, because thousands of physicists believe in them and it is difficult to imagine that such a large community of mathematically-gifted scientists would be wrong.”
That’s one of the most profoundly foolish things a smart man ever said.
If it doesn’t make your hair stand on end, check your pulse.
Go back in history to when scientific fundamentalists sent Galileo to prisons because he insisted on facts that disturbed beliefs held by nearly everyone else.
That’s mainstream science being stupid and patting itself on the back for it.
The deliberate ignorance that pisses me off…
It keeps popping up in books and articles about consciousness, the theory of mind and how brains work. And genuflecting to this easily refuted belief is required.
I was reading Anthony Peake’s wrongly titled Is There Life After Death when he trotted it out in the middle of an otherwise enlightening read.
Our brains, he claimed, have more than enough capacity to retain a full inventory of everything we’ve ever experienced as memory.
It’s hard to know where to begin with unravelling this blast of mainstream scientific nonsense, but let’s start with this:
Nobody — and I do mean nobody — has the faintest idea what the size of a memory is.
Memory is not a moment in time anymore than life is. Life is an intricate stream of activities woven through time, and it doesn’t stop or start. Life’s the isness of everything.
And memory is its record-keeper. It flows, ever changing.
Concocting some notion that depends on its size is unscientific. No facts are needed because it’s all about belief, and it has a purpose.
A bad purpose.
Why is mainstream science blind to consciousness?
The surprising answer is that mainstream science is blind because of its desperation to dodge anything resembling religion. And they use their own factually unsupported belief system to do it.
What scares the living hell out of many established scientists is that something immaterial exists, especially something as ineffable as consciousness.
Mainstream science is so plugged into materialism, it might as well change its name. Science needs things to be material, touchable, measurable.
That’s understandable. It’s what science does, but what’s not understandable is blowing it out beyond its boundaries.
And intolerance Mainstream science has plenty of that.
If you don’t buy their beliefs, it’s because you’re a fool, not just someone with a different idea. That makes mainstream science stupid as well as blind.
As I wrote in What happens when you die? there are huge pieces of human experience that are not material. They aren’t seen, touched or measured — ever, but we all know what they are.
That’s feelings, thoughts, imagination and dreams.
We all know these fundamental parts of our lives exist. We all experience them. But none of us has ever seen a feeling or a thought. Imagination and dreams, by definition, are all in our minds, not material things.
What makes mainstream science stupid is the passionate belief that these things can’t be real because no scientist has ever touched any of them.
They’re just bric-a-brac, the scattered, meaningless residue of a machine-like human existence.
And that’s blind.
More from Assorted Ideas, Large & Small
- Complete Playground Shines, Hosting Luce Foundation’s 24th Annual CelebrationWhen the Roosevelt Island-based James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation holds its 24th annual celebration and awards ceremony, Complete Playground will host the event. Geared toward family inclusiveness, the group will keynote the accent of global humanitarianism as fostered by Jim…
- Roosevelt Island-Based J. Luce Foundation Announces New AwardRoosevelt Islander Jim Luce cashed in his savings from a Wall Street career and launched the J. Luce Foundation. Now, after 24 years of astonishing growth, the group announced its first award for its annual ceremony set for November 7th….
- Eight Ways the World is Becoming Healthier and More Peaceful: A Glimpse into Our Brighter FutureIn a world where negative headlines dominate the news cycle, let’s take a step back and recognize the progress made in recent years. From improvements in global health to strides toward peace, there are many reasons for optimism about the…
- Is 80 Years Old? Do People in Their 80s Have Active, Productive Lives?There are many inspiring examples of individuals 80 years old who have continued leading productive, successful and fulfilling lives. Studies show that physical and mental health correlate to a better quality of life at an older age. The examples below…
- What Spiritual Gifts Do I Have? Finding Out For YourselfEveryone has a spiritual gift, but it can be difficult to discover yours. We all have unique gifts and talents that set us apart from the rest of the world. Recognizing yours so you can make the most of them…
“I Can Ask”
Chair Fay Christian opened the Operations Advisory Committee on February 12th, reading out member names from a prepared sheet that omitted Melissa Wade. It didn’t feel intentional, but it struck me as odd precisely because it came from something prepared. Lydia Tang gently corrected her, noting that Wade was, in fact, a member of the committee. Wade met the moment with grace, or perhaps she simply wasn’t bothered by it.
8 COMMENTS