re: #336 GeneJockey

I have occasionally been reduced to slack-jawed amazement at hearing FELLOW SCIENTISTS spouting the worst wish-fulfillment/confirmation bias horseshit about their own results, or ones they wanted to be true, and we’re supposed to be the ultimate in skepticism. So, the fact that there are still supposedly intelligent people who won’t believe the obvious saddens, but no longer surprises me.

It has occurred to me that human minds are very rich and complicated ecosystems for memes. With hundreds of millions of minds in the US alone, almost any meme can find some minds to thrive in, no matter how bizarre. This is why we should be skeptical of any idea lacking in support from empirical evidence, because we may find an idea convincing merely because it fits well in our minds.