In his last interview, Sagan said it was imperative for Americans to practice skepticism, educate themselves and to question authority. "Otherwise we don't run the government, the government runs us."
Great article! Very worthwhile reading. Questioning authority is definitely not something we raise our children to do, yet business guru's also recommend "question everything" in an effort to become more efficient and profitable in the workplace. It's a skill that doesn't come naturally, yet is well worth learning. In the book, "Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D., he lists "Authority" as one of the powerful ways people can have control over us. I like Sagan's recommendation for Americans to practice skepticism and, more importantly, to educate themselves. One of the reasons I like Substack (and articles like yours) is the access to information you don't normally see on other platforms.
I have a book on medical fallacies that has a great chapter on appealing to authority. I've always meant to do an article of it, but haven't yet gotten around to it.
Science is competent to establish what is,” Mises wrote. “[Science] can never dictate what ought to be and what ends people should aim at.”- Exactly! And of course, at times science can tell you how to solve a problem . But this whole, do you believe in science business is kind of bizarre. What I mean by that is , I think of science more as an essential methodology that of course is based on certain things like evidence. But asking me if I believe in science makes about as much sense to me as do I believe in the moon. Sure but in this “ belief “ doesn’t strike as much of an issue.
Great article! Very worthwhile reading. Questioning authority is definitely not something we raise our children to do, yet business guru's also recommend "question everything" in an effort to become more efficient and profitable in the workplace. It's a skill that doesn't come naturally, yet is well worth learning. In the book, "Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D., he lists "Authority" as one of the powerful ways people can have control over us. I like Sagan's recommendation for Americans to practice skepticism and, more importantly, to educate themselves. One of the reasons I like Substack (and articles like yours) is the access to information you don't normally see on other platforms.
I have a book on medical fallacies that has a great chapter on appealing to authority. I've always meant to do an article of it, but haven't yet gotten around to it.
Sounds like a great topic for when the time is right!
Science is competent to establish what is,” Mises wrote. “[Science] can never dictate what ought to be and what ends people should aim at.”- Exactly! And of course, at times science can tell you how to solve a problem . But this whole, do you believe in science business is kind of bizarre. What I mean by that is , I think of science more as an essential methodology that of course is based on certain things like evidence. But asking me if I believe in science makes about as much sense to me as do I believe in the moon. Sure but in this “ belief “ doesn’t strike as much of an issue.
Great pull from the wayback machine! I'd forgotten that last interview of Sagan's. Very timely.