Suppose, just for example, you're considering adopting a vegan diet and you read an article by an eminent scientist/nutritionist/doctor/sport star stating that eliminating meat and all animal products from your diet seriously endangers your health and that of yourcurrent or future children.
a} Do you, because of the eminent status of any of these influencers/experts decide that the risks of radically changing your diet are too great?
b) Do you research the expertise /eminence of the author of the article and make your decision based on what you discover? For ex: the expert happens to be a shareholder in a meat processing industry, or a dairy company is sponsoring the sports star. Etcetera etcetera. Do you conclude that the 'danger to health' warning is fake news, part of a conspiracy by big businesses worried about the rising popularity of veganism?
c) Do you do further careful research into pro-vegan as well as neutral sources and weigh up the evidence according to your informed judgement and gut feelings about people you've personally consulted?
For the above example you can substitute any controversial subject which has had the label Conspiracy attached to it.
Some people are absolutely sure of one (or more) of the following: a) All conspiracy theories are imaginary. b) If you can smell smoke there is a fire somewhere. c) No human being is beyond reproach. d) Top Experts, top Institutions and top People must never be suspected or accused of being involved in conspiracies because they just wouldn't be, would they? If you think they are then you are delusional.
Having said all that,the question remains: when an issue is huge and the risks of misinterpretation genuinely dangerous, how do you effectively and truthfully separate the wheat from the chaff?
5 comments:
Sorry you're still having this problem. I found a straightforward way to separate paragraphs without buying in to the whole new Blogger format.
Instructions are here for you to download and follow:
http://www.ian.mulder.clara.net/blogging/paragraphs in Blogger.pdf
let me know if you still have ptoblems
Vincent and Robbie, I left two comments earlier but they've vanished! WTF?
I thanked both of you and said I would try out your suggestions tomorrow. Had a tough day today but it's better now. Many thanks again.
Vincent, it worked! Thanks very much. I've just followed your PDF instructions carefully and at last, paragraphs appeared where they should. Now I'll apply this to my other paragraph-less posts. Why Google couldn't publish such essential info when they imposed their new format on us is proof of their indifference and incomptence.
Robbie, I thank you too. I believe you were trying to tell me the same thing as Vincent but I didn't grasp your instructions, sorry!
The moment someone is "absolutely sure" of anything, scepticism takes root in me.
When research institutes tells me that my Flower Remedies (4 drops on the tongue) are no more effective than a placebo as opposed to products of Big Pharma which do have to be more effective, I have no reason to suppose they are part of a conspiracy. If they do me good, what matter if they are placebos?
Is going to church to worship God more than a placebo? It doesn't matter, even though there have been conspiracies over millennia to have power over the people. Placebos get us through.
I agree, Vincent. Big conspiracies are more likely to be hatched by those who have a lot of power and wealth because they have more to lose.
Pplacebos don't threaten anyone, and if they work for some people and not for others, well, so be it. Placebo or miracle, however it's interpreted, it is an extraordinary and marvellous phenomenon and cannot be denied.
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