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Old 03-21-2014, 02:14 PM   #1
James Sawers
 
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Question Are You a Nut-Job?

Are You a Nut-Job?

Not that long ago nut-jobs used to hid the fact that they were nut-jobs; or, at least, they would be uncomfortable, even embarrassed, expressing nut-job views, hiding them from public view, perhaps only expressing them in their own nut-job churches, nut-job societies, and other nut-job organizations, or, just hiding them in their own nut-job skulls.

But, now, under the guise of political correctness, diversity, or, some supposed, perverse humanism, we have somehow given the nut-jobs free reign. It's like getting social promotions in school -- everyone is a winner! Every opinion has weight. But that's not true. Everyone is not a winner. Not all the time. Not all opinions are equal. Some are just plain wrong! In this case, a nut-job is a nut-job is a nut-job; and, if not for their own good, then certainly for our good, they should be told so and held accountable for their nut-job views and what they are doing to us and society in general.

If nut-jobs cannot look at information, process data, absorb an education, and use the hardwiring of their brains to understand the world and the universe as it is, not as they may want it to be, then that is on them. The rest of us are not responsible for their nut-job views, nor should we tolerate them any more than we would someone who is mentally ill telling us how the world is and how it should be run. For make no mistake, it is a type of mental illness! One day it will be listed in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) under Nut-Job, perhaps as a Personality Disorder, certainly an Adjustment Disorder! So, while we may feel sorry for them and try to do our best for them, we cannot allow their nut-job views to influence us in the real world and determine our fate.

So, of course, we have to ask ourselves how do we establish who the nut-jobs are and what is a nut-job view-point? You could say that it is a lot like pornography, we know it when we see it -- but, is this true, and is it always true?

Perhaps some general guidelines would help. Does a view-point ignore current scientific evidence? (Sidebar: Yes, science is sometimes wrong. Yes, science is incomplete. Yes, science is created by fallible humans. All true. The big difference here between science and nut-job views is that science knows these things. Science at its core is about destroying itself and then re-creating itself, again and again...and again) Does a view-point hold back information and knowledge to the betterment of a few and to the detriment of the many? Is a view-point rational; that is, rational in the sense that it can hold up to open and clear scrutiny? Is a view-point based on dogma or data? Does dogmatic belief replace rational discourse and available evidence? Is a view-point's purpose to hurt others? That is, does this view-point have as its aim to denigrate other people and their position in the world? To create the "Other" as the enemy, sometimes to the point of actually physically hurting or killing other people, just because they may disagree with you or hold a different belief system. Is a view-point arbitrarily binary -- that is, are you with us or against us, based on nothing more than a difference in belief or opinion?

Anyway, I think you can see what I am thinking and saying. So, the big question is: are you a nut-job? Stay calm, of course you aren't. That other guy is, not you! So, stand up and present and justify your view-point! Ah, but here's the rub. The nut-job will not listen, or, perhaps even process, a rational, logical, data supported discussion. So, here are your guidelines. If someone can't or won't follow them, it is your duty to stand up and say so. Say: You are a nut-job. You have a right to your view (remember, a nut-job would not allow you that same right!), but you do not have the right to inflict your nut-job view on me and others. So, go back to your cave and let the rest of us go boldly, and fallibly, into the future! Ad Astra, please!

Too much to ask? Yes, for nut-jobs it is (another sign that they are nut-jobs - their degree of intolerance is intolerable). The only remedy I can offer is to constantly and bravely stand up to nut-jobs. Not that they will listen (another sign), but others may listen that are just confused or ignorant, and then may actually see the nut-jobs for what they are. Overcoming nut-jobs; only then can we really call ourselves a modern, rational, humane society that can have a chance of surviving and prospering, not only as a civilization, but as a species. Yes, the risks and costs are that dire. Have no illusion, make no mistake; while some nut-jobs are basically harmless, others are crazy enough to endanger all of us, and, perhaps, the planet itself.

Further, I am reminded of what the late Carl Sagan said: We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. This seems to lead inexorably to something that the late Arthur C. Clarke also said: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

To many people in today's world the technology that they use on a daily basis, and upon which they are so exquisitely dependent, is a total black box. From their air-conditioned, centrally-heated homes, to their modern cars, their TVs, computers, and cell phones, all of it, may just as well be magic, for all their understanding. Of course, no one today can be expected to fully understand everything in the world and how everything works, but the general principles should be known. That it is not magic! It is science and that this science is based upon certain knowledge, principles and processes. I should point out here that having education and standing in the sciences does not make anyone exempt from being a nut-job or holding nut-job views. We don't have to look far to see this is true. So, we just have to look at our established guidelines to help us in our decision making process as to whether or not someone is a nut-job, regardless of any scientific or educational credentials that person may have.

So, when a nut-job stands up and declares some nut-job view-point, people should be able to place this view-point in the continuum of current scientific or common knowledge, or at least, know how to research and find out where this view-point stands on this continuum. At the very least, how likely is this view-point to be true or accurate based on currently accepted scientific or common knowledge? This doesn't mean that some far-out view-point or theory may not be true, but how likely is it to be true based on what we currently know and understand? You can't just throw out a thousand or more years of scientific, rational, and humanistic struggle just because some idea or belief sounds lovely today -- oh, but I forgot, if you are a nut-job, yes you can! I'm a big believer in Occam's razor or The Law of Parsimony. Can any view-point or theory stand up to these simple rules and their scrutiny? Is this review, critical thinking process perhaps too difficult a task for most of us?

Who knows? But, it's your choice. Your decision. What are you going to do?

But, to scarily quote Clarke again: It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value.

So, who owns the future? You or the nut-jobs!?

Last edited by James Sawers : 03-21-2014 at 02:20 PM.
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