20-05-2012, 12:13 AM
Apologies for off-topic mini-rant....
It's the same in all branches of science now, sadly. There was a golden age when people studied the sciences (including medicine) as a calling; now it's a career. No one wants to lose their job so groupthink applies. Politicisation makes it worse... it didn't end with Lysenko!
I think there is a snowball effect here. Some medic saw a correlation between cholesterol and heart disease and forgot all about the 3rd variable - e.g. arterial inflammation from other causes. A plausible theory was put together, and a huge investment from government made vast changes to the diets of nations. Decades later, obesity is rampant, so much money has been spent, so many lives ruined, so many politicians to get egg on their faces that the bogus theory is supported and becomes orthodox, regardless of misery.
Analogously "global warming". A plausible theory about greenhouse gases is used to fit the correlation of rising temperatures and CO2 emissions, without thinking of any other 3rd variables and not considering the negative feedback effects of more heat = more cloud cover = cooling. No substantial heating for 10 years or more while CO2 has been increasing apace, and they are still making excuses for it, with plans to spend trillions on burying CO2 underground!
We've seen how the peer review process has been corrupted by the release of the "climategate" emails. If in climate science, why not elsewhere? E.g. medicine?
The only people who can speak out against bogus orthodoxy now are either retired (as mentioned) or about to be. All others are "dealt with"... not liquidated as in Lysenko / Stalin's USSR but the next best thing.
So what do we do except repeat the mantra "trust no one?" One of the features of our New World Order is the use of key phrases to close down intelligent debate. In my case it would be "conspiracy theorist" - All very well, but what about if/when there really are consipiracies?
End of rant
B.
It's the same in all branches of science now, sadly. There was a golden age when people studied the sciences (including medicine) as a calling; now it's a career. No one wants to lose their job so groupthink applies. Politicisation makes it worse... it didn't end with Lysenko!
I think there is a snowball effect here. Some medic saw a correlation between cholesterol and heart disease and forgot all about the 3rd variable - e.g. arterial inflammation from other causes. A plausible theory was put together, and a huge investment from government made vast changes to the diets of nations. Decades later, obesity is rampant, so much money has been spent, so many lives ruined, so many politicians to get egg on their faces that the bogus theory is supported and becomes orthodox, regardless of misery.
Analogously "global warming". A plausible theory about greenhouse gases is used to fit the correlation of rising temperatures and CO2 emissions, without thinking of any other 3rd variables and not considering the negative feedback effects of more heat = more cloud cover = cooling. No substantial heating for 10 years or more while CO2 has been increasing apace, and they are still making excuses for it, with plans to spend trillions on burying CO2 underground!
We've seen how the peer review process has been corrupted by the release of the "climategate" emails. If in climate science, why not elsewhere? E.g. medicine?
The only people who can speak out against bogus orthodoxy now are either retired (as mentioned) or about to be. All others are "dealt with"... not liquidated as in Lysenko / Stalin's USSR but the next best thing.
So what do we do except repeat the mantra "trust no one?" One of the features of our New World Order is the use of key phrases to close down intelligent debate. In my case it would be "conspiracy theorist" - All very well, but what about if/when there really are consipiracies?
End of rant
B.