Monday, February 27, 2012

Education doesn't cure closedmindness, it makes it worse

Chris Mooney finds that college-educated Republicans are more anti-science and less persuadable by evidence than less educated ones. Mooney also provides a good example that this is not true of liberals.

Carl on BRF pointed out:

upadesho hi murkhaanaam prakopaaya na shaantaye
payah-paanam bhujangaanaam kevalam visha-vardhanam


"Good instructions to deluded fools does not calm their rage. Feeding milk and fruit to the hooded serpent only increases its poison."

Mooney advises us:

Indeed, if we believe in evidence then we should also welcome the evidence showing its limited power to persuade--especially in politicized areas where deep emotions are involved. Before you start off your next argument with a fact, then, first think about what the facts say about that strategy. If you’re a liberal who is emotionally wedded to the idea that rationality wins the day—well, then, it’s high time to listen to reason.