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The "Scientific Impotence" Excuse
chichilalescu writes "I've had the feeling for a long time that people refuse to listen to scientists. The following is from an article on Ars Technica: 'It's hardly a secret that large segments of the population choose not to accept scientific data because it conflicts with their predefined beliefs: economic, political, religious, or otherwise. But many studies have indicated that these same people aren't happy with viewing themselves as anti-science, which can create a state of cognitive dissonance. That has left psychologists pondering the methods that these people use to rationalize the conflict. A study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology [abstract here] takes a look at one of these methods, which the authors term "scientific impotence" — the decision that science can't actually address the issue at hand properly.' The study found that 'regardless of whether the information presented confirmed or contradicted [the subjects'] existing beliefs, all of them came away from the reading with their beliefs strengthened."
That's not true. Everyone's had a turn at his sister.
It's like Viagra for your brain!
I'm not religious, but Linux is better than Windows or Mac, Java is for suckers, and real programmers use C.
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
That's not true. Everyone's had a turn at his sister.
Apparently, you've never farted around his sister.
Dude, I farted on his sister... it's a highly overrated experience.
Bow-ties are cool.