Where, pray tell, has it been unsuccessful?
We have been able to take people to orbit, to the moon and back; to take probes to every planet to many moons and even comets and even to the edge of interstellar space. There have been disasters and mistakes made along the way but that is to be expected in any exploration of a new frontier. All this has been accomplished by careful astronomical observations and calculations based on the laws of gravity and motion. It really is quite frustrating to have all this denied as some sort of gigantic fraud.
Over the last while I have been pondering a phenomenon that has actually been going for a very long time. I am referring to Denialists and Conspiracy Theorists. While they might seem to be different behaviours, I think they have a commonality in the sort of mind that subscribes to them. What also struck me as curious is the number of them that are centered around science, technology and medicine. Let me list a few.
>> the link between tobacco and cancer, particularly lung cancer
>> the fluoridation of water supplies to prevent tooth decay
>> the role of chlorofluorinated hydrocarbons in the deterioration of the ozone layer
>> the build up of DDT in the food chain and its effect on both reproduction success in birds and human health.
>> the link between HIV and AIDS
>> the role of vaccination in causing other health issues
>> the historicity of the moon landings
>>UFOs and aliens
>>flat earth
>> chemtrails
>> the human role in CO2 production and climate change
This is hardly an exhaustive list and it is easy to also point out others that have very little, if any, linkage to science, technology or medicine. For example, the historicity of the Holocaust, of the Twin Towers, of the assassination of President Kennedy and of both President Obama's birth place and religion.
What most puzzles me most is the state of mind of both those who advocate these theories and those who so readily subscribe to them. I will throw out a few random thoughts here in the hope that they will generate some discussion.
>> fear and powerlessness --- people feel overwhelmed by events that are beyond their control and require a scapegoat on which to pin their frustration and their anger.
>> fear and ignorance --- people are frightened by their own lack of understanding of the concepts and issues involved and suggest that 'the intellectuals' are trying to put one over on them.
>> the 'little guy syndrome' --- people fear big organizations, big government in particular, and feel the need to lash out at them by suggesting that the little guy is being somehow exploited.
>>contrarianism --- some people love to be different just for the sake of it
>>special knowledge syndrome --- a form of elitism where people like to feel they have some special or secret knowledge that makes them feel smarter and/or better informed than the rest, even if it doesn't have much practical application.
>> religion and political ideologies --- in at least a few cases the culprit is viewed as challenging religious and/or political beliefs.
To illustrate this last point we could look at two examples.
Political --- the fluoridation of water supplies to prevent tooth decay was opposed as a tactic by communists to poison the whole nation. This was particularly effective in the days of the 'red menace' but has a modern counterpart in the paranoia surrounding international terrorism.
Religious --- new technologies are viewed as challenging religious understandings. This goes back a long way in history. Two hundred years ago Timothy Dwight, Presbyterian minister and president of Yale University wrote “If God had decreed from all eternity that a certain person should die of smallpox, it would be a frightful sin to avoid and annul that decree by the trick of vaccination.” Today we see an echo of that religious fear in the debate surrounding stem cell research.
My final observation is that it seems to me that denialists, conspiracy theorists, and biblical fundamentalists / creationists are often the same people.
