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Saturday, 22 April 2017

Fantasies versus science


From the BBC coverage of today's March for Science. 

A gentle reminder for certain archaeologists who ignore evidence (and ignore inconvenient peer-reviewed papers) and who subvert and degrade science by dressing up their own assumptions, speculations and fantasies as "facts" -- for reasons that are sometimes rather too obvious.  Headlines, notoriety, and a good flow of research funds are all very desirable things.......

A gentle reminder too for local authorities, tourism bodies and government agencies (you know their names) who are so obsessed with the need to market places like West Wales as possessing more "heritage icons" than anywhere else that they systematically ignore serious scientific findings and prefer to dress up recently-manufactured myths (such as the quarrying of bluestones at Rhosyfelin and Carn Goedog) as "established facts".   Commercial interests, as I have said before, have overturned respect for the truth -- and nobody seems to mind.

Shame on all of them, for hastening the demise of science and encouraging pseudo-science and "alternative facts."  I, for one, am with the thousands of scientists who marched in many of the great cities of the world today.  Keep waving those placards, boys and girls!

6 comments:

Myris d' Alexandria said...

A little cheer up in these dark and desperate times:

French skipper of a trawler is about to set off fishing, when he discovers the First Mate is missing. He combs the local pubs etc, and when he sees him, he calls out:

"A l'eau - c'est l'heure !"

(Say it out loud if you can't see the point.)

M

Peter Dunn said...

M, It was good of you too try and cheer people, but no luck as I did not understand even saying it out loud, this made me sad as I could imagine everyone else having a chuckle.
However it did remind me of Eric Cantona's philosophical musings about seagulls following the trawlers thinking of sardines. Any connection?



BRIAN JOHN said...

Peter -- try saying "Hello Sailor!" in a VERY French accent........ schoolboy humour, but it has its place in the great scheme of things.

Peter Dunn said...

SO obvious when you point it out.

Smiley Face!

TonyH said...

The great Gordon Kaye R.I.P. of Huddersfield and "'Ello Ello" has a lot to answer for! Now, where was I?

BRIAN JOHN said...

Tough luck if you have forgotten. He will say this only once.