jonny99 wrote:
Way, way back when I was a high school K*D.. I thought 'Scientific American' was a cool publication coming from a thoughtful and also educated place. Well now.. with all of these 'free?' self appointed experts 'showing me the way'... why should I even tax my brain, thinking for myself??? The 'easy' way is to choose some fool to believe. And follow him (or her) right down their 'rabbit' hole that leads to and also winds up nowhere. The ability/acquired skill to be able to always question everything.. is one of the best gifts that if we are lucky and smart enough, that we could ever (in one lifetime) be able to receive. I suppose it just all comes down to our 'individual' choices (and reasoning). Or maybe how many lifetimes that you (think you) have to do it over and over again. Don't count on it. Get it right.. right now.. or forever fade away into oblivion.
None of us have the knowledge to be experts in everything, in reality not even in anything. Even the Nobel Prize winners only have expertise in their own fields. So we all have to choose what voices we listen to, and we need to be very skeptical especially with the internet bringing complex and convoluted stories to us...mostly based on false assumptions and false stories. I have a very strong belief that it is only the scientific method (based on skeptical thought and processes) that can tell us what is real. And I'm using the term "scientific method" in a broad sense. So basically we can know something is true or real when others can question every part of it, go through the proofs and find no way to refute them, and eventually the community of those with the ability to understand the "something" finally agree that it is real or true. And of course that is always provisional, because new or more complete understandings may come in the future.
The questions around this virus, what is it, how does it spread, how can we slow down the spread, how can it be treated, how can it be prevented - all of these questions are being worked on in real time as we go through this. I have not heard any of the real experts, the epidemiologists, the virologists, the medical community, come across as dogmatic. They are trying to answer those questions as they learn more about this disease. But, even without all the answers actions had to be taken. And around the world every country I know of has taken some action. Far far away from all the political crap in the US and other places, countries on the left, right, and center have felt they needed to do something to stop the spread of this virus, and eventually treat it or cure it successfully. And these people come from many countries, many political backgrounds, and basically only have a scientific approach to the issue in common.
The rise of the outright attack on the messengers and spokespersons for action against this virus is unprecedented I think. There is a new conspiracy every minute it seems.