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Tuesday, March 19, 2024 - 03:40 AM

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

First Published in 1994

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

There is a trend these days, particularly online, to just trust the experts. The experts of course are those that hold to the politically correct views such as Big Bang to man evolution, man-caused climate change, and a lot more. Inherent in this idea is the notion of Scientific elitism.

 Scientific elitism is the notion that approved scientists are not to be questioned when they say something considered scientific. Of course, the only scientists that have this privilege of being unquestioned are those that follow the official party line and accept whatever leftist agenda exists on the topic they are talking about.

I have encountered criticism simply for not blindly accepting what is said about evolution, climate change, and other topics. That is the problem with such elitist attitudes. you are expected to blindly follow the elites even if the direction they are going seems ridiculous. What a lot of people do not realize is that such attitudes are completely unscientific. What is actually scientific Is being able to question and even refute claims that are made in the name of science. No matter how scientific an idea may be originally, it ceases to be truly scientific when you are no longer allowed to question it.

The moment somebody tells you that you may not question what a scientist has said, the person making the statement is engaging in scientific elitism and not true science. Elitist attitudes are among the biggest dangers that genuine science faces. This is because not only can scientific elitism prevent progress in specific fields being discussed by the elites but in related fields as well.

The danger that elitist attitudes in science pose is that it actually hinders scientific development preventing ideas such as evolution or old Earth geological theories from being challenged. Even if the theory being challenged is ultimately correct the challenge still makes real science stronger. This is because the challenge will strengthen a correct theory. Not only does it open the door to correcting errors in current theory, but it opens the door to replacement if it is needed.

The Internet has done wonders for the democratization of science by making both scientific research and the ability to do scientific research available to more people. While this does allow for cranks to appear, it also allows legitimate challenges to establishment science that can open the door to breakthroughs. Being able to challenge even the most strongly accepting theories is a critical aspect that strengthens real science. Scientific elitism is it danger to this critical ability to challenge existing theory, and consequently, it is a danger to science itself.

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