But what has been tried?
> ...when special interests[0] are highly motivated to undermine truths and the general welfare time and again for personal and outsized gain
And everyone knows it (or, is in possession of knowledge about it), yet their primitive, transparent methods work every time - rather paradoxical!
> it's tempting to throw out simplistic solutions like "let's skepticism!"
Conspiracy theorists (of which I am one) being one form, although my colleagues (bless their hearts) are....* a little unrefined and sloppy, to put it nicely.
> but almost impossible to actually change people en masse* like that.
Like that: agreed.
> i was just having this conversation last night about doctors, who know next to nothing in comparison to how complex biology is, but we still as a society feel compelled to venerate (and remunerate) doctors irrationally because they hold people's lives in their hands (understandably).
That the highly educated doctors (and other The Experts) themselves typically have little awareness of their shortcomings and delusions themselves may be suggestive of something important? And don't get me started on The Scientists!!
> but that outsized veneration (and remuneration) often leads to egos that can't admit ignorance or doubt...
Implying this problem didn't exist prior to the inflation of the ego?
> ...and that leads to millions of unnecessary deaths and countless people with worse health outcomes
Sir: not to worry - see, the line on this chart is moving up and to the right. All is well, stay the course.
> and that's not a condemnation of doctors...
Maybe it should be.
> ...but a realistic understanding of where our collective knowledge lies relative to the long arc of evolution, but the societal distortion persists nonetheless
It's a tricky problem!
This is an enjoyable conversation.