The Danger of Giving Offensely Wrong Ideas Too Much Attention

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There is a legitimate worry about giving obviously wrong ideas too much attention. I do think that we should have, let's say, a little more activity on the part of scientists and pro-science people in combating these very publicly visible bad ideas. Scientists are accused sometimes of being elitist and aloof; there are right and wrong ways to do this. But individuals don't want to get their hands dirty because they would probably be doing more harm than good.

Welcome to the July 2023 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good -- and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic.

We're experimenting with a new benefit for Patreon supporters: short video (or audio-only) reflections by me on the podcast that just happened. If you've been wondering whether to join up, this could be the time.

Blog post with questions and transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2023/07/03/ama-july-2023/

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