This show continues a series that will examine the concept of scientific consensus and contrast it with voices of the dissenters who find value in minority scientific opinions, theories and conclusions. Today we ask the question: is there any way to bridge the gap? Darrell Becker will be co-hosting all episodes in this series.
Monologue:
-Brett discusses how little he knows about the vaccine debate for 30 minutes
Discussion:
What is the Political Debate Contract?
And how does it relate to this flowchart?
-Dealing with emotion in potentially rational discussion and building a Bridge of Empathy
-Evaluating the Observations-Feelings-Needs-Requests of an "opponent"
-Evaluating the Observations-Feelings-Needs-Requests of yourself
-Identifying motivations
-Identifying splinters, avoiding any harsh "touch" upon the splinters, demonstrating care, respect and remorse when splinters are accidentally touched upon
-Does some of the hostility come from an unmet need to know?
Background:
"My thesis is that the criteria by which individuals are deemed qualified or unqualified to become professionals involve not just technical knowledge as is generally assumed, but also attitude—in particular, attitude toward working within an assigned political and ideological framework. I contend, for example, that all tests of technical knowledge, such as the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), are at the same time tests of attitude and that the examinations used to assess professional qualification are no exception. I consider in detail how the neutral-looking technical questions on such examinations probe the candidate's attitude.
The qualifying attitude, I find, is an uncritical, subordinate one, which allows professionals to take their ideological lead from their employers and appropriately fine-tune the outlook that they bring to their work. The resulting professional is an obedient thinker, an intellectual property whom employers can trust to experiment, theorize, innovate and create safely within the confines of an assigned ideology. The political and intellectual timidity of today's most highly educated employees is no accident." -Jeff Schmidt Disciplined Minds : A Critical Look at Salaried Professionals and the Soul-Battering System That Shapes Their Lives.
Look Closer:
Darrell's Site: Voluntary Visions - http://voluntaryvisions.com/
Bringing Much-Needed Sanity to the Vaccine Debate, by Kevin Geary - https://medium.com/@therebootedbody/bringing-much-needed-sanity-to-the-…
The CDC whistleblower William W. Thompson: Final (for now) roundup and epilogue - http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2014/08/29/the-cdc-whistleblower-will…
Anti-vaccination movement - http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Anti-vaccination_movement
Autism Debate with Jenny McCarthy, part two - http://thedoctorstv.com/videos/autism-debate-with-jenny-mccarthy-part-t…
Darrell's Communication Glossary - http://schoolsucksproject.com/practical-definitions-voluntary-communica…
Disciplined Minds : A Critical Look at Salaried Professionals and the Soul-Battering System That Shapes Their Lives - http://disciplinedminds.tripod.com/
Scientific Consensus and the Argument From Authority - https://skeptoid.com/blog/2013/04/09/scientific-consensus-and-the-argum…
T&H Trivium Resources - https://www.tragedyandhope.com/trivium/
Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, the prophet of bacteriology - http://web.archive.org/web/20080404214853/http://www.general-anaesthesi…