LongeCity - How do we decide things, part II

Here's a good example of why the current propensity of people to educate themselves on a subject, distrust experts, and 'decide for themselves' can be a threat to life to other people: The famous anti-vaccination debate, of which the below is a typical example:

http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archiv...ng_vaccinat.php

Of course, this example is pro vaccination, but you can read the comments for an interesting look at the psychology. Distrust of prevalent scientific opinion to the point of paranoia, post hoc ergo proctor hoc reasoning, appeals to emotion, belief in the ability to do your own research on the web and in popular literature and reach a reasoned conclusion that is the equal of the prevailing expert opinion in an extremely complicated scientific area... Theres actually a name for the belief that you can meet experts head to head in their own field and hold your own when in fact you simply don't know enough to understand your own ignorance, but I can't find it right now.

Since we aren't going to stop deciding for ourselves, I think the only way out is much better early critical/scientific thinking training. Or maybe all the insane arguments on the web will teach at least the majority of us to argue better and to think clearer in the long run, who knows.

- Mey

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