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Science saved my life, 2017 version. |
Science has made our lives better, cancer edition.
Steven Pinker pointed out a crazy stat: about 100 years ago, being pregnant had about the same mortality rate as a breast cancer diagnosis today. 😮
On the other side, from Losing My Religions:
[W]e all have our psychological quirks and blind spots, even people who make a living railing against unreason. For example, in early 2022, author (The End of Faith) and podcaster Sam Harris took a break from maligning misinformation to defend his friend Joe Rogan.
At first glance, this seems at the very least unnecessary if not absurd. But to me, it makes perfect sense. Even though he is one of the worst sources of misinformation, Joe Rogan is much more famous than Sam Harris, and Rogan has repeatedly been deferential to and promotional of Harris.
Even though Rogan is a significant net negative for the world, our minds are simply not built to do utilitarian calculations when it comes to interpersonal dynamics. The human brain evolved dealing with small groups of people who we see every day. So if someone with more social power praises us, our brains simply can't help but view them as "friend."
For a fuller discussion, this Revisionist History podcast by Malcolm Gladwell goes into detail as to how Rogan uses his platform to spread dangerous, deadly misinformation. Only listen when you can fast forward - the ads are many and obnoxious.