I’ve never been able to understand people who reject scientific evidence outright, in favor of whatever their chosen authorities dictate. (I recently saw a quote that sums it up: “[T]he problem with all the “science deniers” is they think the argument is about power and “we” think it is about what reality is.”) The book mentioned here (available as free PDF files on the site) promises a deep delving into the psychology of such people, with scientific evidence backing up every premise.
I haven’t read it yet, but quite frankly, I think such people have a mental illness and need treatment — and if they refuse treatment, or if one can’t be developed, need to at least be barred from any position of authority. Especially in government!
(This will probably be denounced as religious persecution, since the vast majority of religious fundamentalists have this authoritarian mental illness. But consider… we, as a society, don’t allow pedophiles to work in child care, so why do we allow authoritarians to run for public office? The two cases are a lot more closely related than they first appear.)
Well, since we are both against the teaching of religion in schools, or the use of religion to gimp scientific research, I don’t know what the problem is you have with my beliefs – “fundamentalist” as they may be. I don’t see religion vs. science as a struggle for power, they are just two different ways of discovering the truth, and mostly different aspects of the truth that don’t conflict with each other any. When they do conflict, my Rabbis and the organizations they belong to believe in the separation of church (and synagogue) and state in the US, and even in Israel do not oppose the existence of secular schools – although certainly they wish more Jews to go to the religious ones there, so as to learn their cultural and religious heritage which is their birthright.
(I find it odd when people are more concerned about if society teaches the first chapter of Genesis, and less concerned about if they teach ultimately the Biblical definition of Sodomy. What is the Biblical definition of Sodomy? “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and careless ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49)
In point of fact, I wasn’t thinking about you at all when I wrote that. I was thinking of my cousin’s husband, who (as I just learned last night, talking to my aunt who lives near them) is apparently a Young-Earth Creationist. And, of course, Bush and his ilk. But if the shoe fits… 😉
Nope, the shoe doesn’t fit. 😉