Wow this speaker vote stuff is…
*stretches and yawns for 30 seconds*
…really exciting.
So how dumb do you have to be to be a super-smart scientist?
The thing about speech is that no matter how “offensive” it is, it’s entirely within the individual’s power to choose how to react to it.
Like most Americans, I haven’t actually studied Islam enough to know whether it promotes violence or not.
One problem is there a very large portion of the world where a death sentence for blasphemy and apostasy is considered normal.
So how dumb do you have to be to be a super-smart scientist?
It’s not so much how DUMB, but how often you shoot-off your mouth and say really stupid things. Primary topics for that include global warming, dark matter/energy, cosmology in general, and, of course, hackable computers.
So how dumb do you have to be to be a super-smart scientist?
I’ve worked with dozens of PhDs over the past 23 years, and I’ve learned that having a PhD doesn’t ensure brains or even basic common sense, and having a PhD does nothing to remove personal biases or lend weight to ones ideology. A scientist’s opinions on ideology are no more pure or trustworthy than yours or mine or any base politician. I no longer automatiically respect an individual or their opinion on the basis of their having a PhD. Just because someone knows way too much about the stratum corneum, it certainly doesn’t mean that their opinion carries weight on anything else, even science-related matters, outside of that limited focus. I’ve known some brilliant scientists and I’ve known some that are dumb as a post but who thought they were brilliant nonetheless. As with all fields, I don’t think that scientists are necessarily any smarter than people in any other field, though they are, by and large, much more nerdy. The biggest problem I have with Tyson is he is a PhD who then spent his career essentially reporting on science not doing science, essentially being a science journalist. And as far as I can tell, he is not doing either the science or the journalism part very well. He isn’t testing any hypotheses and he isn’t verifying any facts or checking any sources.
#3 – Steve,
Good video!
But clearly, the only safe police procedure is shoot first, ask questions later.
Hmmm… you know, that could work!
Radio warning:
“Here come the police! EVERYBODY get down on the ground with your hands up!!!
(vast crowds of people all over the city drop to the ground at once, just to be on the safe side)
crime rates plummet!