I don't have all the answers.

R

Roger Hicks

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No-one has all the answers. But I am constantly intrigued by the number of different answers (some credible, some not) that other RFF members can come up with.

The world would probably work a lot better if people listened to others' answers and then either accepted them (grudgingly or not) or rejected them for reasons they can defend rationally.

Thanks, guys (and gals, whose contribution is probably disproportionately high). You help me think. And as I'm rather fond of thinking, I'm grateful.

Cheers,

R.
 
Completely correct, make up your own mind about everything, listen but don't accept until you have checked. Reagan (President) said something like that once, and I have lived by it since.
 
So what did Richard Nixon say of any note?

Or need I ask? :D

politicans used to be so much more ... 'interesting!'
 
For anyone who hasn't seen the movie 'The Inside Job', I'd highly recommend it. True understanding is very comforting.
 
Thinking for yourself is a great thing. Trusting the ideas of others so we can avoid reinventing light sensitive chemicals every time is also great!
 
I knew a rather smart, older lady who went and saw the Michael Moore movie on Bush. Now, what ever you think about Bush is irrelevant but I would not ever call Michael Moore "documentaries" fair and balanced-:).

Anyway after she saw the movie she told me "I know a lot of statements in the movie were lies but there were a lot of facts about the Bushes I never knew.

So I asked her how she "knew" what parts were lies and what parts were facts. She just kind of stared at me.

I'm an engineer in the nuclear industry. Everything I write is independtly verified by at least 2 people. Once upon a time Editors ensured stories were somewhat factual. Not anymore (except for maybe the Wall Street Journal that still provides references for most of there stories).

So I have little use for “Believe nothing unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” – quote
 
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So you have little use for me. That's harsh.


saw the Michael Moore movie on Bush. Now, what ever you think about Bush is irrelevant but I would not ever call Michael Moore "documentaries" fair and balanced-:).

Anyway after she saw the movie she told me "I know a lot of statements in the movie were lies but there were a lot of facts about the Bushes I never knew.

So I asked her how she "knew" what parts were lies and what parts were facts. She just kind of stared at me.

I'm an engineer in the nuclear industry. Everything I write is independtly verified by at least 2 people. Once upon a time Editors ensured stories were somewhat factual. Not anymore (except for maybe the Wall Street Journal that still provides references for most of there stories).

So I have litte use for people that only “Believe nothing unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” – quote[/QUOTE]
 
FrankS said:
So you have little use for me. That's harsh.

Oh, I didn't mean that way. Maybe I should have said that I question your advice if you base your "facts" only on what you agree with, rather than gathering information from various sources and coming to a conclusion based on facts rather than just instinct.
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Beemermark said:
I knew a rather smart, older lady who went and saw the Michael Moore movie on Bush. Now, what ever you think about Bush is irrelevant but I would not ever call Michael Moore "documentaries" fair and balanced-:).

Anyway after she saw the movie she told me "I know a lot of statements in the movie were lies but there were a lot of facts about the Bushes I never knew.

So I asked her how she "knew" what parts were lies and what parts were facts. She just kind of stared at me.

I'm an engineer in the nuclear industry. Everything I write is independtly verified by at least 2 people. Once upon a time Editors ensured stories were somewhat factual. Not anymore (except for maybe the Wall Street Journal that still provides references for most of there stories).

So I have litte use for people that only “Believe nothing unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” – quote
Click to expand...
My last editor was good about making sure we had solid factual info given the time that a daily gets to verify as much as we can. Our current editor is pretty good about it as well, but in this day and age of get it out fast and first, mistakes are made. We get it wrong from time to time, but were right more often than not. It's also a smaller paper and our town, though horribly crime ridden and run by corrupt local politicians, most of our sources are close to the action and give us as much as they can.
The sad truth seems to be that its all "Gotcha!" these days, sensationalized and twisted to sell. I work at a tabloid and we do sensational -- perhaps its what were known for -- but we usually do a good job reporting the news.
 
didn't expect to be looking up Nixon quotes tonight...

didn't expect to be looking up Nixon quotes tonight...

"I brought myself down. I impeached myself by resigning."

-Richard M.Nixon

"As this long and difficult war ends, I would like to address a few special words to the American people: Your steadfastness in supporting our insistence on peace with honor has made peace with honor possible"

-Richard M.Nixon
 
Is it possible that a majority of engineers / scientists / and intellects would be wrong about a single subject in the past and future? Is it also possible that the same thinkers / scholars, can influence the majority of the population? The answer to both is yes. One case in point is, religion, another is climate. Even seeing, is no longer believing.
 
whatever said:
One case in point is, religion, another is climate. Even seeing, is no longer believing.
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Yeah, climate is a nice barometer of peoples critical thinking and understanding. Every time I hear folks pop-off about climate change, I ask what evidence they are familiar with or if they understand the data. It is pretty clear how little information they have been exposed to, much less their ability to weigh all the evidence.

Why should anyone take anyone else seriously when they can't provide data?
 
MikeL said:
Why should anyone take anyone else seriously when they can't provide data?
Click to expand...

... even with provided data (a solid data-base) many people believe only what they want to believe. I have co-workers in my lab who preach that benzene does absolut no harm and no precaution is necessary when using it ...
 
I won't even begin to comment on the current content of this thread, even though it pains me to read some of the things here.

I will, however, say that Roger (the OP...remember?) is probably laughing right now. At least, I hope he is.


Cheers,
--joe.
 
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