Willful Ignorance and Intellectual Courage - 341

Scientists have been befuddled by us. Since the Renaissance, Science and Scientists have been listened to. Our longer life expectancies, light bulbs, refrigerators, airplanes, and cell phones all trace their origins to the scientific community.  That is nearly 1000 years of science serving us and us listening.

But something has changed in my lifetime and the scientists know it too. The age of reason has ended. This is especially true in regards to climate science. At first, the science community believed the American Citizen's inability to understand science was their fault. And, indeed, they could have got the physics to us sooner and better. But, to be sure, there is plenty of information, a mountain of peer-reviewed information, out there for anyone to find with a little effort.


The latest slick scientific explanation of how carbon is central to life and the climate comes in an off-beat documentary by a dozen top scientists, including Neil de Grasse Tyson and Katherine Hayhoe. In the "unauthorized biography," Carbon speaks to us in the voice of a great actresses, Sarah Snook. Admittedly, this video is as different as its title indicates, "Carbon, the Unauthorized Biography".  Any chemistry, biology, or general science enthusiast will find it entertaining.


The scientists are still trying to reach us!


Some scientists have simply given up trying to compete with Big Oil money and propaganda. Big Oil knows burning its product will destroy the climate, and it has known it for years before anyone else. You can trace that history via the documentaries, Dirty Lying Bastards (2012), Merchants of Doubt (2014), Frontline's "The Power of Big Oil" (2022), and CBS's "Black Gold" (2022).


Other scientists in psychology, as early as 2011, started examining the psychological hurdles we face accepting climate science fact. Gifford's "Dragons of Inaction" paper was one of many articles attempting to understand how we think.


I have read many more articles on why we, psychologically, are unlike our parents. They, because they experienced things like the Great Depression, World War II, and the scourge and terror of polio, could and did look reality squarely in the eye.


While I have read many articles on our current psychological limitations, I have never found a satisfactory explanation. To me, there seemed to be a deeper problem in the American psyche.

A decade ago, I felt the iconic line "You can't handle the truth!" delivered by Jack Nicholson in the movie Few Good Men summed up America's rejection of climate change. Maybe I was on to something.  


While not as dramatic as Nicholson, Scientific American has printed some revealing studies. The December 2023 article "Why Some People Choose not to Know" summarized researchers' findings: "Altruists seek to understand how their actions will affect others, while willful ignorance can free people to act selfishly."


What shocked me about the article was that, in the 22 studies examined, the people whose driving motive was selfishness were equal in number to those whose drive was to act responsibly.


Then the following Scientific American article caught my eye: "Hitting the Curiosity Sweet Spot Speeds Up Learning, " November 2024 edition. Curiosity is a key element in IQ. Scientists are delving into why some brains light up with curiosity. They know this is particularly important for teaching kids. If you can build on kids' natural curiosity, they will remain curious longer and reach higher levels of learning.


One part of the article listed essential elements of curiosity, such as open-mindedness and intellectual humility.


 What interested me was the challenge of preserving "Intellectual Courage" as we grow older. To maintain this courage, we must be "Comfortable with the risk of failure and mistakes; acknowledge limits to one's own knowledge", and challenge or change our own thinking; challenge the accuracy of claims."  


If we examine our nation in the context of curiosity, how many people have the courage to challenge their preconceived beliefs? How many, instead, choose to willfully ignore?


There is a benefit to willful ignorance.   As the old saying goes, "Ignorance is Bliss." This works really well until, inevitably, "Truth" knocks on our door.

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