(by C. Tsotsos author of The secret of the elements)
It is easy to depict Nobel laureates, hard working and devoted scientists as plain fools when we compare their efforts against a superstition that reigns for millennia, or against tampered television footage of a flying pancake. Scientist are immediately handicapped because they cannot prove the existence of either god or aliens visiting earth, without proper facts. But there is always someone who is willing to exploit this and attempt with smoke and mirrors to convince, those who want to believe, that UFOs grab people and return cows, or vice versa, in a cornfield. These people will set up a profitable TV show that exploits some poor "soul" interpreting the symptoms of his/hers illness as paranormal activity.
True scientists choose to speak or publicise their findings only when they know for sure, firstly amongst their peers and refuse to talk when they do not grasp the exact reason or reasons behind a phenomenon either within their field or publicaly. A true scientist will say “we do not know for the time being, we cannot be certain yet”, but the cunning voice of opposition waits. A smoke and mirrors person will most likely respond along the lines: “Haha! Here it is. All you people know shiiiit. The universe was actually created by a gigantic purple squid and this man saw its tentacle in the desert one day, about 5k years ago.” We are easy to believe the latter than to accept our lack of knowledge and refrain from jumping into conclusions, and when scientists do explain we feel disappointed by the obvious. There are many examples. It is long since archaeologists, sociologists, anthropologists, men and women of science explained the reasons behind a number of myths like the Nazca lines. Their findings and conclusions are published in the appropriate scientific journals and periodicals. Now these men and women are hard working people, clever people that devoted their lives doing research with shitty pay in some university. Most are bright and persevering scholars, trying to pin their place in the map of their scientific community. Why are we then more inclined not to pay any attention to them? Why are we disappointed to find out that the Nazca lines and the pyramids were made by humans, and not by aliens? This demonstrates a gullible nature, an inner need to accept the irrational, the metaphysical and the paranormal. This is a weakness that can be exploited for power and profit. Some do it for millenia, while others for only a few decades.
Marketing and media exposure to the masses is a great tool, maybe more so than age of an idea. It is amazing how any person who appears on trash-TV channels inspires more confidence than your average geeky academic, which hides in universities and gets exited over algae. It is a pity that the not so popular ‘look’ of the scientist prevents many of us from listening to them. The Dicovery Channel knows about this and wastes a great effort to find the most photogenic or ‘cool’ Doctor Mike/Lucy/Tod/Rita. Unfortunately when Doctor Tod/Rita shows a hideous bug and, almost orgasmic, proclaims ‘beautiful specimen’ he/she looks weird and eccentric to the masses. I too am influenced by that media look. When I give the tour of the labs to students I copy their mannerisms, acting exited over some insignificant, to them, piece of lab kit. They look at me, some astonished, others yawning and many laughing at the media wannabe, eagerly trying to spice up facts. Most people look at acting-cool science geeks and undermine the fact that through their work, can explain our natural world. We have a habit to consider the obvious boring. A multi-cell organism taking light and converting it in chemical energy is boring. Flying on a magic carpet is cool. A methane bubble rising from the bottom of the ocean to the top and then exploding is geeky useless information, or to those who believe in aliens an oversimplified excuse by scientists who try to disguise the fact that alien vessels hidden in the ocean rise from the sea with a loud bang.
True scientists choose to speak or publicise their findings only when they know for sure, firstly amongst their peers and refuse to talk when they do not grasp the exact reason or reasons behind a phenomenon either within their field or publicaly. A true scientist will say “we do not know for the time being, we cannot be certain yet”, but the cunning voice of opposition waits. A smoke and mirrors person will most likely respond along the lines: “Haha! Here it is. All you people know shiiiit. The universe was actually created by a gigantic purple squid and this man saw its tentacle in the desert one day, about 5k years ago.” We are easy to believe the latter than to accept our lack of knowledge and refrain from jumping into conclusions, and when scientists do explain we feel disappointed by the obvious. There are many examples. It is long since archaeologists, sociologists, anthropologists, men and women of science explained the reasons behind a number of myths like the Nazca lines. Their findings and conclusions are published in the appropriate scientific journals and periodicals. Now these men and women are hard working people, clever people that devoted their lives doing research with shitty pay in some university. Most are bright and persevering scholars, trying to pin their place in the map of their scientific community. Why are we then more inclined not to pay any attention to them? Why are we disappointed to find out that the Nazca lines and the pyramids were made by humans, and not by aliens? This demonstrates a gullible nature, an inner need to accept the irrational, the metaphysical and the paranormal. This is a weakness that can be exploited for power and profit. Some do it for millenia, while others for only a few decades.
Marketing and media exposure to the masses is a great tool, maybe more so than age of an idea. It is amazing how any person who appears on trash-TV channels inspires more confidence than your average geeky academic, which hides in universities and gets exited over algae. It is a pity that the not so popular ‘look’ of the scientist prevents many of us from listening to them. The Dicovery Channel knows about this and wastes a great effort to find the most photogenic or ‘cool’ Doctor Mike/Lucy/Tod/Rita. Unfortunately when Doctor Tod/Rita shows a hideous bug and, almost orgasmic, proclaims ‘beautiful specimen’ he/she looks weird and eccentric to the masses. I too am influenced by that media look. When I give the tour of the labs to students I copy their mannerisms, acting exited over some insignificant, to them, piece of lab kit. They look at me, some astonished, others yawning and many laughing at the media wannabe, eagerly trying to spice up facts. Most people look at acting-cool science geeks and undermine the fact that through their work, can explain our natural world. We have a habit to consider the obvious boring. A multi-cell organism taking light and converting it in chemical energy is boring. Flying on a magic carpet is cool. A methane bubble rising from the bottom of the ocean to the top and then exploding is geeky useless information, or to those who believe in aliens an oversimplified excuse by scientists who try to disguise the fact that alien vessels hidden in the ocean rise from the sea with a loud bang.
Fact fails to excite our imagination, nonsense does it effortlessly.
(by C. Tsotsos author of The secret of the elements)
(by C. Tsotsos author of The secret of the elements)
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