The power of words...

[Tom 1]

I happened across this quote from Isaac Asimov -

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” - Isaac Asimov

I don't know when he wrote this, but as he passed away in 1992 the quote is probably more than a couple of decades old. Given the current struggle between the US adminstration and people with medical expertise, it seems pertinent.

Obviously not everyone will agree with Asimov's sentiment, but I'm interested in starting a thread based around quotes or at least referenced ideas that you feel sum up any issues highlighted by the pandemic, or that provide an insightful summation of the zeitgeist around the globe in more general terms. So, whatever your view, please use a quote or your understanding of some political or philosophical idea in your post, thanks.

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

The accursed power that rest on priviledge
And goes with women, champagne and bridge;
Broken, and democracy resumes her reign,
That goes with bridge, women and champagne.
-- Hilaire Belloc

There are three types of lies: a fib, a downright lie, and statistics.
-- saying found in various formulations, attributed to various people, maybe Disraeli.


There is far too much politics in this pandemic. We don't fully know what is going on, and by the predominant rules of Evidence-Based Medicine, Expert opinion is the weakest form of evidence. Time will tell, in retrospect, whether these global lockdowns were justified, or merely everyone shooting their economies in the foot.

 

[Tinker Grey]

I happened across this quote from Isaac Asimov -

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” - Isaac Asimov

I don't know when he wrote this, but as he passed away in 1992 the quote is probably more than a couple of decades old. Given the current struggle between the US adminstration and people with medical expertise, it seems pertinent.

Obviously not everyone will agree with Asimov's sentiment, but I'm interested in starting a thread based around quotes or at least referenced ideas that you feel sum up any issues highlighted by the pandemic, or that provide an insightful summation of the zeitgeist around the globe in more general terms. So, whatever your view, please use a quote or your understanding of some political or philosophical idea in your post, thanks.

One of my favorite quotes. IIRC, it was 1980 in a Newsweek column. Cite: https://wist.info/asimov-isaac/19937/

 

[essentialsaltes]

Philip K. Dick — 'Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.'

 

[Clizby WampusCat]

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government has grown out of too much government." ~ John Sharp Williams

This is not the only cause of our failed governmental system, but I am convinced it is a contributing factor. Many spurious regulations and slow to react.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

"Thou shalt not eat bats". -God Leviticus 11:19

 

[Tom 1]

"Thou shalt not eat bats". -God Leviticus 11:19

Indeed.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

"Thou shalt not eat bats". -God Leviticus 11:19

Or pigs, or lobsters, or shrimp, or catfish.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Or pigs, or lobsters, or shrimp, or catfish.

Best not to drink the water either.

 

[Bob Crowley]

The Swedes took a "liberal" approach at first, relying on people's consciences in the end to self-impose social distancing, quarantine and all the rest.

A relevant quote by Sweden’s Chief Epidemiologist Anders Tegnell went as follows -

“It is important to have a policy that can be sustained over a longer period, meaning staying home if you are sick, which is our message,” Tegnell said. “Locking people up at home won’t work in the longer term. Sooner or later people are going to go out anyway.”

But there's been a reaction as infections have continued to rise, particularly in Stockholm, the capital. I'm not sure what the current status is.

As for ignorance in America, I think many Americans can be insular, thinking the world stops at the borders of the USA. On the other hand, many of the world's most outstanding medical experts, academics, scientists, engineers and writers are American. It's a mixed bag.