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Old 01-12-2019, 01:51 PM   #4493 (permalink)
aerohead
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Knowledge

Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5 View Post
Corporations already have a ton of motivation to develop better technologies. A government funded research program isn't likely to significantly improve the rate of technological progress. There's no guarantee that more research funding can significantly improve solar, battery, or other materials technology. I'm not completely against research subsidy, but it needs to be grounded in specific and worthwhile objectives.

Most problems aren't effectively solved by education because the real issue is cultural. Everyone knows they should "just say no to drugs", yet that educational campaign was an utter failure. Americans all know they shouldn't be overweight, yet they still are. It isn't enough to educate people. There has to be a movement that turns into a social norm that stigmatizes the negative behavior and accepts the positive behavior. Humans are herd-like creatures. Delibritaly steering the herd is tremendously difficult.
I saw a citation for a paper which basically said the exact same thing!
By Kahan et al.,in Advances in Political Psychology,2017.
The authors reported that 'Knowledge does not always change biases. People tend to absorb information that fits their prejudices.'
They went on to say that,for those which have a scientific curiosity, for pleasure,that they are less likely to demonstrate politically-motivated reasoning.
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