Saturday, July 25, 2009

Conformity in Science and Journalism (and Everywhere Else)

Journalist Nicholas Wade notes that not only is conformity pervasive in our culture, but most conformists are not fully aware of their own conformity. He writes in the New York Times this week:

Journalists, of course, are conformists too. So are most other professions. There’s a powerful human urge to belong inside the group, to think like the majority, to lick the boss’s shoes, and to win the group’s approval by trashing dissenters.

Unfortunately Wade is too often correct. Conformity is pervasive, sometimes subtle, and usually unfairly critical of dissent. Those in the comfort of the dominant paradigm have little incentive for exploring why they might be wrong. It is easier for conformists to trash-talk rather than engage dissent.

This well describes evolutionists who often misunderstand, misinterpret and misrepresent the opposition. You can see this by asking them one simple question: "Why are people skeptical of evolution?"