What do you think of some the answers in the R&S section?

Question

I asked a series of questions that had to with having faith in our scientific observations. Theories in essence seems to be nothing but faith in what we observe.

My choice of question had to do with having faith in certain scientific theories. Of course there are theories for or against just about everything. However, the personal attacks were in abundance.

Ignorant moron was my favorite and they all assumed I was christian and I was told to go read my bible.

No where in any of my questions did I mention God. Only faith in science, essientially.

Whenever I asked questions that pertained to intelligent design and creationism however, those same people applaud me.

I'm not a physicist and I'm sure some of my questions might seem naive to scientists. Wouldn't real scientists answer my questions with at least something more than a personal attack and without obvious bias?

Even if it is an inquiry into the nature of faith and science?

Why the personal attacks?

Hey I took that test in that Battleground God thing:

Battleground Analysis
Congratulations!
You have been awarded the TPM medal of honour! This is our highest award for outstanding service on the intellectual battleground.

The fact that you progressed through this activity neither being hit nor biting a bullet suggests that your beliefs about God are internally consistent and very well thought out.

A direct hit would have occurred had you answered in a way that implied a logical contradiction. You would have bitten bullets had you responded in ways that required that you held views that most people would have found strange, incredible or unpalatable. However, you avoided both these fates - and in doing so qualify for our highest award. A fine achievement!

Answer 1

Well, there are so many different types of people involved in Yahoo Answers that it's hard to specify one reason. But there are many possibilities.

1. People are threatened by other points of view besides their own and would rather ignore/refute them, rather than think about them.

2. People already know what they believe and want to promote their viewpoint, rather than reexamining their ideas and having to change their minds. (It's hard to take action if you're constantly reevaluating; you really can only take positive action in life if you have some confidence in your ideas.)

3. Many of the posters are young -- and I don't say that as a bad thing at all (!). It's simply that, being young, people are still formulating their ideas for themselves; they're dealing with challenges to what they've been taught; they haven't yet had a lot of experience to help inform their ideas about the world.

4. Being young sometimes also means that, while intellectually they might be mature, emotionally and socially they are still learning how to relate in the most kind and fair manner with others. There's prone to be a lot of strife because they still are figuring out the best way to share (or listen to) a point of view other than their own. That's simply part of growing, and takes time.

5. Some people (young or old) aren't serious about the forums. They're just there to heckle people, make fun of them, make waves, be sarcastic at someone else's expense, etc. I've noticed a HIGH proportion of hecklers in the R&S section here, and most of the questions posted there are not meant to be serious (unfortunately).

6. Since the R&S forum tends to either by cynical or antagonistic in nature, people are already irritable and prone to fight.


If I were in your shoes and I had a question I wanted answer, I'd tell myself to go ahead and post it... and just ignore any answers that are demeaning, or useless, or unhelpful, or ignorant.

Yes, I know I'd feel bad too (I don't like being treated that way myself); but the thing is that, right now, you don't know the answer or want to honestly explore the topic, and if you never post it, you are ensured of getting NO answer. If you do post, you might only get a few reasonable/serious answers... but they're still answers, and you might meet a few decent people in the process, whom you can go to later with more questions.

Just ignore the posts that aren't offered in the spirit of kindness. Why should you let the opinion of mean-spirited or thoughtless people affect what questions you try to find answers for?

Hang in there.

Answer 2

Take a look around Yahoo! Answers, and not only will you find an abundance of bad answers & questions, but many hurtful and mean ones as well. Yesterday I had an answer deleted because I guess I was chastising someone and they didn't like my perceived tone. When I went back to the question, I found that out of all the other answers, none were correct or even informative. I continued on and found some other answers and questions in the "Culture" section to be racist, prejudiced, and just outright wrong.

I've found that for facts, overall, this site is plain horrible, and is really more of an opinion factory that oftentimes is a playground for mentally disturbed people.

Answer 3

The personal attacks happen because some people will attack anything or anyone they don't agree with.
If you are asking questions, it's simply because you are looking for answers. By asking, you are proving that you are searching, learning and growing. Nothing wrong with that. Just understand that people who don't contemplate or search for answers are the ignorant ones. Keep searching and asking questions. It will make you a better, more educated person. Be sure not to take the attacks personally. There are a lot of judgmental people out there.

Answer 4

Because, unfortunately, in that section there are a lot of people who have no real interest in asking interesting questions or in providing thoughtful answers. What they are interested in is advancing their own point of view. You would probably have better luck in the Science section, or maybe in Philosophy. Don't worry about people thinking your question is naive. As you have learned, someone will tell you if they don't like your question. But you might have a better chance of getting a thoughtful answer if you ask elsewhere. Sad, really.

Answer 5

I guess it's easier to make a wisecrack or have a pre-programmed answer than to answer truthfully for some. To actually think about something requires a little effort. Most people it seems just want to take the easy way out.It shows a lack of appreciation for your intelligence and honest question in my opinion.

Answer 6

I used to love the R&S section, but lately I won't even venture over there. It's like battleground God or something. Which ironically, is a webiste that you might find fun, just for something to do.

http://www.philosophersnet.com/games/god.htm

People are afraid of what they don't understand. And when you live in a world so full of ignorance and fear as we do, it makes for a pretty angry, scared, misinformed group of people, which eventually melts into chaos (such as the R&S section).

Answer 7

Science is not about faith, it is about examining and weighting the evidence for one theory or another. The only thing you "have faith in" is your own ability to think logically ... or the same ability of other people.

When people of faith do not know something, they find an explanation that fits their views and stick to it no matter what, and insult whoever thinks otherwise. Why? B/c religion attracts people who like to insult other, and that's because it is much easier to "know that you're right" in faith that it is in science.

When people of science face insufficient evidence, they have a respectful discussion on which theory matches the evidence best. This goes on until proponents of one theory convince everybody else. Examples are plentiful - nature of light, functioning of brain, dark matter and dark energy, low-level particles, big bang.