Do people like defending ignorance?

Question

It seems to be very hip. You know what I mean...the lethal combination of 'might is right', with 'ignorance is bliss', with a dash of 'popularity' for good measure...

Nice try, Harry Palmer. Perhaps you could try that in the religion section.

Valid answer, Dan - except for the thing about homosexuality in the Bible. I'm very sure I read about Jewish laws condemning same-sex intimacy. There is mention of sexual notoriety in the Bible - some of which is homosexual, if you read carefully. Take Sodom & Gomorrah for example.

Answer 1

Yes, no one wants to appear to be stupid. If they stick to an idea and convince others to stick to it then they can ignore the facts.

Iran wants to destroy Israel so they sponsored a Holocaust denying seminar. If they got enough people to believe that the Holocaust never happened (something which Germany freely admits and preserves a few monuments toward it), then they can remove Israel's reason for existing and so be justified in taking back Israel's land.

Religions have done a lot of good for the human race, even if you don’t believe in God. However they also were the primary cause for a lot of suffering and misery in the world, as well as a retardation in civilization known as the Dark Ages. Some people don’t understand that the bible is a work of man, made by men, who were inspired by God. These people think that the bible is completely true; that all people descended from Adam and Eve, and that the human race was created and didn’t evolve. Yet every single dog we know of today just screams evolution. All modern dogs were descended from one single species and they were forcibly evolved by man to form the various breeds.

The religious hatred against gay people descends from one line in the bible “Thou shall not waste thy seed. It is better to throw it on the ground than to waste it.” The religious hating people interpreted this to mean that homosexual acts between males is banned by the bible, even though it is not mentioned in bible as an actual sin.

Religious folks don’t have a corner on ignorance, especially enforced ignorance. An Australian doctor discovered a strain of bacteria that caused stomach ulcers in humans, but no one would believe him. Hundreds of surgeons once built their entire career on removing ulcers. Many drug companies were making huge amounts of money by selling ulcer medication. If it was found that a simple (and cheap) antibiotic could cure and ulcer with only a few dozen pills then the doctors and drug companies would lose a lot of money. Finally, the Australian doctor infected himself with the bacteria to prove he was right. Pepcid, Tagament and similar medications are formally ulcer medications desperately searching for disease to treat.

A good scientist postulates a theory and then gathers facts to prove it. Part of that process is to test those theories and hold them up to the scientific community for judgment, usually by publishing their theories—which is where the saying “Publish or Perish” got it’s start. Some scientists have had favorite theories that they don’t want these theories disproved and they will work hard to stop that. However, a proper scientist will have an open mind and listen to other theories. Steven Hawking originated the idea of Black Holes, but at one point he didn’t believe in them, because the scientific research lead to disproving their existence. In a famous bet, made with another scientists, the star Cygnis 61 was found to have a Black Hole in its system. So Stephen Hawking lost the dollar he bet and the scientist now keeps it framed on his wall.

It can be said that Ignorance is the refuge of the incompetent and I believe it is true. When people are too lazy to change their ideas, or too stubborn, even when faced with the facts, they are ignorant. Many people have safe little worlds that they build around them based on their beliefs, like that the Sun and all the planets revolve around the Earth. It took a long time to disprove this, because it proved that the bible was not true word for word. When Galileo confronted the church with evidence from his telescopic observations of Jupiter and its moons the Catholic Church confined him to his home for the rest of his life. They couldn’t handle the radical change that this would cause, so they just denied it. This is how many ignorant people behave, and they just make themselves look more and more foolish when the proof of their errors arise.

Since the time of the ancient Greeks the atom was thought to be the indivisible elementary particle. Greek science was the approved science of the Christian Church, even though the Greeks were not Christians. In the 20th century we discovered that the atom was composes of protons, electrons, and neutrons. Later we discovered that those particles were made of up even smaller particles, and those particles were made up of still smaller particles. This has been proven with every nuclear bomb, every particle accelerator, and countless experiments. Yet since it goes against Greek Science it disproves the “Science of Christianity,” but some close-minded Christians still take the bible literally. They believe that Noah lived 400 years, that Moses parted the Red Sea, and other things. “Christian Science” says that it was actually the Reed Sea, which is very muddy and when the Hebrews forded the shallow sea they churned up the mud enough so that the Egyptians in their Chariots got bogged down. However, they fail to explain why the Egyptian Infantry were unable to cross the Reed Sea or why the bible describes the pursuing Egyptians being drowned in a flood of water. These same “Christian Scientists” claim that the Universe was made in only six days. When confronted with the theory of the Big Bang and the time intervals required for the Universe to form they respond “Oh, now one knows how long a day is to God.” Jesus his son never had a problem with knowing how long a day was and he talked with God on a regular basis. The bible wasn’t officially composed until 200 years after Christ’s death, so there was plenty of time to explain to God and to the Christians just how long a day really was.

Ignorance is hip, it is the foundation of many people’s beliefs, and it is very handy for people that want to deny things like Global Warming, which is why Al Gore called his movie “An Inconvenient Truth.” Global Warming would cost the oil companies and other producers of Carbon Dioxide too much money, so they just deny it is a problem.

Answer 2

Good question and yes, I have to agree with you that today at least there has been an unusual level of activity in the ignorance-defending quarters. The ignorance-expounding fraternity are much in evidence in Y! too, unfortunately. One feels like just leaving them to it but as I have said in another post, all it takes is for good men to do nothing ...

Answer 3

Innocence is bliss. Ignorance is a sin.

I defend no ignorance. We have a really cool organ in the body that helps with that. It is called a brain. Most people unfortunately fail to ever use it properly or to it's full potential.

Answer 4

Even Obama in the talk conceded that his time table would ought to attend till the business disaster is resolved. Couric is out of contact with the aptitude impact of the disaster. the reply without situation is that if we do not shore up the business equipment it ought to go in the tank and make progression on any the front a moot element. i'm disenchanted Palin ought to no longer see that glaring answer to a question that became depending upon this manner of flimsy premise.

Answer 5

It appears that some people are too stupid to know their own ignorance. Thus, you have the non-powerful (gits) following the marginally bright and powerful (right gits), and when combined with the conceitedness and you have the things needed to muck up life for everyone.
--That Cheeky Lad

Answer 6

Yes...it seems that might is right...for instance a kid at school who is really brainy and says soemthing which is correct the big cool, handsoem, popular kid will say the opostie and if the brainy kid argues he gets a broked nose...People are ignorant and if they wanna be that way...kill em

Answer 7

In my opinion Yes people do defend ignorance but Ignorance in life and law is no defence .

Answer 8

No - but I do like to defend people's right to free speech - even if they express ignorance. It's only our view that it's ignorance after all and who made us God?

Answer 9

This question should have been posted in the religion section

Answer 10

Some,Yes.