In this interesting TED Talk, Kathyrn Schulz discusses our wrong ideas about being wrong. First, think about what it feels like to be wrong. It sucks and we avoid those feelings. Except, that's what it feels like to find out that you were wrong. While you were wrong, you remained confident in your correctness. Being wrong feels like being right and we never know the difference.
I am sure that I have a lot of ideas that COULD BE wrong, but I can't pinpoint which ones are. We all can do this. The about your beliefs on religion, politics, economics, education, sports, science and more. Only one of these possess a feedback system to let us determine our wrongness. In science, we conduct research experiments designed to protect the truth from our own biases. The large collaborative efforts of science trudge along towards the truth about some aspect of reality. Today's ideas may be wrong, but evidence and logic will guide us in the correct direction.
As I begin the unit on evolution, I think over common creationist propaganda. Creationists assert that their ideas are science and should be taught in schools. Creationism lacks the helpful feedback systems to weed out bad ideas and nothing can ever show them to be wrong. They just won't accept any evidence contrary to their beliefs. Why? Because no one likes to be wrong.
Enjoy the talk. I hope it gets you thinking!
No comments:
Post a Comment