The smart donkey: the value of science and people’s knowledge

Not so longA significant part of the population does not recognize the competence of science. The epidemic and climate change are still denied by a large part of the population, or at least human responsibility for them is denied. This is not new. There has been criticism of conventional medicine ever since traditional medicine has been around.

but newHow does this happen now? We are seeing the spread and radicalization of anti-science. New media, the Internet (YouTube) and social media have changed the individual to the knowledge of the world and his relationship to knowledge to the point that each person creates his own reality, regardless of recognized scientific standards. The basis for accessing the knowledge in question is missing. Therefore, the quantity, not the quality, of information determines an essential role. The formation of opinion is the same as the formation of knowledge. Opinion can be manipulated, unlike science that is based on research. Opinion is not a note.

Austrian philosopher of science Paul Feyerabend (1924-1994) described this as “anything goes” and thus warned against the “democratization” of science. The majority of opinion is not a note.