While it is easy to shrug off and laugh at, we are seeing more and more grand conspiracies being highlighted by social media. Some are less concerning, while others are more. Superstitious thinking isn't harmless and has real world consequences. The internet has always had this problem, but information gets around quicker than it ever has in the past. A viral video can travel around the world before the truth can get its pants on.
The problem with combating these types of things, is that they get emboldened when ridiculed. It's easy to condemn and come off condescending in the process. Have you ever been persuaded by being ridiculed?
People would rather be wrong on their own, than be ridiculed and proven wrong by someone else. Therefore, it can be tough to be cordial and understanding when talking about something like vaccines. When I first heard of anti-vaccine groups, it drove me crazy. Crazy enough to start this blog and thus my whole campaign of consumer protection advocacy.
I used to ridicule my cousins for getting flu vaccines every year, while making the same argument many vaccine hesitant people make today. "I am young and healthy, therefore I do not need a vaccine." But, that is wrong, followed by more wrong. Those are just more reasons for getting a vaccine. You get vaccinated for the ones who cannot get the vaccines themselves. Like babies, old people, or the elderly. The immunological response the human body has when expose to immunizations is far safer and effective than any natural method. Vaccines are a technological marvel of science and should be celebrated for adding decades to the human lifespan.
At the end of the day, conspiracy theories aren't
about science or a search for the truth. It's about human psychology and the
pitfalls in our thinking when we aren't taught how to reason. Our brains, like
the internet, they are powerful tools of information. But, if we aren't taught how
to use them, we could end up with more misinformation than what is tried and
true. Like a chimpanzee with a machine gun.
There is a subtle difference between being
skeptical and being cynical. Carl Sagan once said,
"Science is more than a body of knowledge. Is a way of thinking; a way of skeptically interrogating the universe. If we are not able to ask skeptical questions, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we’re up for grabs."
One of our Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton, said something similar in "a man who does not stand for something, will fall for anything."
It turns out, researchers have found something similar to be true when they study it with experiment. An extreme example would be, highly educated individuals without any formal critical thinking skills or science literacy are not more likely to be right, but are more likely to rationalize with more elaborate explanations.
In skeptic circles, we call it "hand waving". It reminds me of politicians who overuse gestures while they talk, or frauds who sell bunk science with over complicated technical terms. It's a psychological tool to convince you they know what they are talking about.
Not having one skill is bad enough. Not having either is a recipe for disaster. Some fraudsters and con artists would say you deserve to be taken advantage of as a result. How do you feel about that? There are people out there who knowingly pull the wool over the eyes of the susceptible, and there are even more who know and do not care. Well, I care. People are taking advantage of others and exploiting this blindspot and nobody does anything. I can at least call it out.
Critical-thinking is being able to challenge one's own beliefs and positions. It is the crux of any decision making process.
So, mere doubt isn't good enough. Asking questions of all authority isn't good enough. We must ultimately demand evidence and be able to differentiate what credible with standards of validation.
If you don't believe any of this, good, look it up. You do not have to take my word for it. Challenge any, and all, preconcieved notions. Especially, your own.
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| Original Artwork By Noah Nez |
