I’ve stopped myself from several rants because of the thought that I might possibly offend someone. Well, you know, I suddenly remembered that this is my corner of the internet, where I rant and get things out of my system. If it offends you, then don’t read it. Today’s rant is brought to you by the theory of evolution and the idea that someone from Mississippi couldn’t possibly understand science.
Scientific zealots.
Why not? We have religious zealots. People would accept that concept all day long and not even think twice. How do we define a religious zealot? A quick google search gives several definitions. Like, someone who uses religion to show they’re better than everyone else… we’ll come back to that. Ultimately, if you say "religious zealot," we all have different things come to mind, and none of them are good. People who refuse to listen to reason, and use their beliefs to condemn other people’s beliefs. Elitists. People who, when backed into a metaphorical corner will chose to lash out offensively at their opponent rather than question their own beliefs.
Now, why can’t we say the exact same things about people who use science as their religion? I mean, we can say the same thing about scientists who defend their work to the point of excluding reason. They become so entrenched in their beliefs, and it’s so personal, that they refuse to even consider another point of view that is contrary to their own. It’s happened… it’s the cause of several disasters over time… engineers who refuse to let someone else crunch their numbers… (and splat a multi-million dollar project on the face of mars). Scientists who refuse to believe the possibility that they might possibly be reading data incorrectly… (and are discredited in front of millions of people when their theories easily test wrong).
The truth is science can be as much of a religion as anything. And so, it’s perfectly understandable that some people would want to go to any length to defend the theories that they personally believe in. When it’s religion, we call these people zealots. So, why can’t we have scientific zealots?
Simple. We can.
I have more to say, but then I really would offend some people…