Quote:
Originally Posted by GordonBlue
explain.
I understood she got her PhD in Neuroscience from UCLA.
that seems pretty legit to me, no matter what her beliefs are.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger
It means pretty much any idiot can get a PhD. It might be a difficult degree with lots of hard work but there's no rationality or intelligence test.
Having a university degree is not a measure of smarts.
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No that's not quite what I'm saying. It's not that just "any idiot" can get a PhD. in neuroscience. I'd challenge any of you to try and do it. It's not a joke degree at all and you have to earn it. She's not a stupid person by any measure, and neither is Mercola.
What I'm saying is that not all smart people are rational. Intelligence and reason are not always the same thing, and often because scientists can be super focused on learning facts, formulas, and testing methods, they aren't always focused on a classical education in reason and argumentation.
Also, the problem with PhD's in general is that they get so hyper-focused on their tiny fraction of academia that they can miss out on any knowledge in the vast sea of what other smart people say. Mercola is one of those guys that is so focused on natural health practices that he has simply not learned enough (either intentionally or otherwise) about the effectiveness of traditional health practices. Specialists are myopic to the worst degree.
Basically, even though it occurs less often in highly educated people, we are all prone to our own biases and belief systems. It's hard to unlearn these because they are usually fundamental to how we see the world, so they persist throughout the education process unless someone comes along to really knock a stupid belief down, and that also doesn't account for how strong confirmation bias can be in some people.
Anyways...back on topic. Is Ken Jennings looking better all the time? He is Mormon you know...lots to talk about with that.
No matter who you pick, there will be a problem of some sort to unearth. It's the age we live in. I just don't care about any of this stuff to be honest. It's not going to affect my enjoyment of a television show. She's not a monster, she just has some weird views.