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Archive of "irrationality" Category
Celebrate the 13th
Today is one of those days when we are all reminded of the superstitions that surround us. Most people reading this will know how these beliefs in “bad luck” are perpetuated – confirmation bias and the rest. So I propose a couple of simple and entertaining ways of celebrating rationality on this supposedly unlucky day. Feel free to join in with either, both, or none at all.1. Recklessly and with joyous abandon, indulge in as many “unlucky” activities as possible. Opening umbrellas indoors, stepping on cracks in the pavement, walking under ladders… Go crazy!*
2. Count and notice all the good things that happen to you today – and draw no conclusions relating to some mysterious common cause.
* Any injuries sustained by such reckless indulgence is to be attributed not to the date but to clumsiness/stupidity etc.
Virus-avoidance advice
There has been a great deal of news and rumour recently about a new virus or worm targeting users of FarceBook, MurdochSpace, and the other one. Normally not the sort of thing that would find its way to these pages, as it seems to be a completely genuine danger and not in any way fraudulent. What prompted this blog post, however, was the public reaction to the news; I know of people who have decided to not use the networking sites at all while this thing persists. Not an unreasonable precaution, but why deny yourself the distractions of social networking if it’s not necessary? And according to the details of this case, it’s really not.
As with most digital viruses, the best advice for avoiding infection seems to be “don’t be a moron”; though it does appear that this worm is more sneaky than most. It’s also not new – it’s been around since at least December, when there was a big news event on the subject – see articles from The Guardian, PC World, BBC News, The Huffington Post and Reuters.This virus, known as “Koobface” can be avoided by simply knowing the way in which it operates. The best source for this information seems to be the video here, the summary of which is that the virus works through sending messages from infected accounts to friends of that account. The message comprises of a link to a video, ostensibly on YouTube, and a phrase or two suggesting that the target is featured in that video. Now listen carefully to the next part, because it’s the one thing you should remember about the Koobface virus:
The only way it can infect your account or computer is if you click that link and then install what it requests that you install.
So the obvious advice is: don’t do that.
Knowing how these individual virii operate is the key to avoiding them – besides good old common sense, anyway. If you get a link to a video with a message suggesting you’re in it, don’t follow the link, delete the message. If in doubt, ask your friend if the message is genuine. There is no evidence to suggest that the virus is so clever as to be able to respond to such an inquiry.
Ignorance and Obfuscation
Half of Britons do not believe in evolution, survey finds.“More than one-fifth prefer creationism or intelligent design, while many others are confused about Darwin’s theory.”
Right from the start, we have a misleading headline which suggests (not explicitly, but leaves open for misinterpretation) that half of Britons are creationists. In fact it’s less than one quarter.
The real story here is that, to my mind at least, the creationist campaign – particularly that of intelligent design – has succeeded in blurring the issue. While I don’t know that more people believe in creationism, I think more people are under the impression that there is doubt where no serious rational doubt exists. I can’t seem to bring the previous figures to hand, though – so if you know what they were, please let me know – particularly if I’ve got it wrong. I wouldn’t be surprised if this poll returned the exact same results as last time, actually. It wasn’t that long ago. Also, let’s not go over the many ways this data could be skewed – I’d at least want to know what questions were asked before trying to draw any sensible conclusions.
I’m all in favour of having these issues out in the open where they can be discussed, but that’s not what we’re dealing with here. Creationists are campaigning to get their rubbish accepted to the same degree as evidence-based theories, and disguising it under the banner of freedom of speech and open debate. Scientists are not blameless, either – more needs to be done to promote the public understanding of science, which would hopefully prevent a quarter of people from simply being “confused” by evolution. Those who bear the overwhelming burden of responsibility here, though, are the media; while there is a great deal of good science on the BBC and elsewhere (Attenborough being the absolute pinnacle), there is too much dumbing-down, and ignoring of science stories in favour of sensationalism and big headlines.
There is no easy solution, nor one single person or group to blame. What I do know is that 50% is too high a proportion of the population to be in any serious doubt about the theory of evolution.
Away Turf
One of the more commented posts here recently was Home Turf, in which I inveighed at some length regarding the logically necessary divide between science and religion. Religion is fine, I concluded, as long as it remains in the private sphere.
My good friend Von made a comment which brought to attention something which was left unsaid (though perhaps implied) in my original rant – why religion is actually OK at all.
There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that religion has played a positive role in a great many lives. The advantages it brings are almost too numerous to list, but here’s a cursory top-of-the-head job: removes/reduces fear of death; provides consolation after a loss; creates a sense of wonder; absolves from guilt; “explains” everything; provides cast-iron moral code; binds communities together… I could go on, but I won’t.
These are the things which should be celebrated about religion; but they should not be considered – as they so often are – the sole domain thereof. As an atheist, I am truly and profoundly insulted when people argue that atheism means amorality; I don’t fear death because all evidence suggests that it is the absence of experience, and it is thus senseless to fear it; and a sense of wonder is certainly no stranger to me – nature in all its complex splendour is quite amazing enough without having to resort to supernature.
But isn’t it more interesting (and fruitful) to discuss these issues, like the true value of religion and the role it might, should, does – or not – play in society? Rather than obsessing over complete and eternal non-starters like the verifiability of deities? Religious-types: stop offering proof. Scientific-types: stop demanding it.
The first step in looking for meaningful answers is to ask meaningful questions.
Home Turf
Yes, dear reader, you’re getting treated to another of my regular helpings of “Why philosophy is great”. I’m sure you’re suitably thrilled at this prospect.
There is a school of thought within philosophy (generally Wittgensteinian if you’re interested) which argues that the most (perhaps the only) important contribution philosophy can make to real life is the diagnosis and treatment of misunderstandings, particularly those caused by language. There are many possible examples of this, such as subjective definitions of “proof”, “knowledge”, “belief”, etc.
As an illustrative anecdote from my own life, I occasionally have arguments (not rows; series of progressive statements intended to establish a consensus) with my dear mother about – amongst other topics – alternative medicine. Toward the end of one such discussion, I made note of the fact that we actually agreed, despite appearances. This was because I had noticed that we were simply operating on different definitions of the word “work”; when considering what it is for a treatment to “work”, she includes the placebo effect and I do not. Aside from this, we were making entirely the same points and agreeing throughout; once I pointed out this fundamental misunderstanding, the discussion was less confrontational.I believe there is a misunderstanding at the core much of the antagonism between science and religion, and it is what will always happen when a naturally rational being attempts to justify their irrational beliefs in rational terms. There is nothing wrong with irrational beliefs, as long as one accepts that they are irrational; as soon as you start trying to justify (for example) your belief in a deity on empirical grounds, you invite, if not outright ridicule, at least a sound defeat in rational debate.
God and all metaphysical phenomena lie outside empirical perception – that is why they’re called metaphysical. There is no point looking for evidence because the very (supposed) nature of these things denies the possibility of evidence. All attempts to prove the existence of deities on purely logical grounds, too, have failed miserably and laughably. The fact that claims of the supernatural are exclusively beyond the purview of rational science means that there is a huge gulf separating them from it. Irrationality should never try to justify itself on rational grounds – its very nature precludes success.This is why I believe religion should be kept on the personal level; as long as it does no harm and doesn’t pretend to be rational, I have no problem with it – but society as a whole cannot afford to be irrational.
The only time that science and religion should engage each other is when one is attempting to pass itself off as the other. I won’t lie here – it’s (almost?) always religion trying to pass itself off as science; because guess what? They think that seeming rational and basing their beliefs on empirical evidence is a desirable trait – cognitive dissonance anyone? The current classic example of this is creationism (a completely irrational belief if ever there was one) trying to pass itself off as science under the guise of Intelligent Design. Apparently there are those who believe that irrationality has a place in science classrooms; this is exactly when science and the rational community should defend with every argument at our disposal, and keep the irrational separate.
The divide between religion and science is identical with the divide between rationality and irrationality. As long as you keep them separate, all is well. But cross over from one to the other and you’ve got a fight on your hands.
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