Saturday, January 29, 2011

You do not have the right to your own set of facts

I am a huge supporter in the belief that each individual has the right to their own beliefs, ideas, and feelings.  My personal belief is that no two people have the same set of these personal attributes.  I even believe that it is quite impossible for two people to fully embrace an identical set of beliefs, even identical twins.  Having our own set of beliefs is part of what makes us human, individuals.  We are not of one mind or one point of view.  We can interpret beliefs any way we like but when it comes to established facts that are generally agreed upon by the scientific community, it’s not up to interpretation. Gravity is not just a good idea that you interpret as you wish, even if it can not be fully explained.  Nor are the rest of the laws of physics and chemistry and you guessed it even evolution.  Plate tectonics, uh, it’s a fact, just ask the poor people of Haiti et all.  Only the out of touch fringe (or devious entrepreneurs of hidden agendas) decry facts.  Part of the base value of education is to help us to understand agreed upon facts.  It facilitates scientific endeavors of all kinds.  If we were allowed to hold mutually exclusive sets of facts it would be very dangerous to, let’s say, drive to the store.  You just can’t be allowed to have your own set of facts.  Facts are not up for interpretation, it’s too dangerous for the rest of us but beliefs, go for it.  It’s not just a good idea to formulate your own set of beliefs, you really shouldn’t be espousing someone else’s beleifs.  How could you possibly know who you are if you did?

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