Good article. Good way of thinking about this pattern.
I think we see the importance of hard endpoints in science here. The further away we get from a outcome that is testable by an outsider, the more likely that we are looking at a bee orchid rather than a bee. Similarly, we can tell a bee and a bee orchid apart by asking them both to make honey.
Soviet mathematics and engineering were still basically valid. The Sputnik program put a man in space, the Soviet nuclear program was a success with a few hiccups. When we move into subjects like biology where theories are harder to validate empirically we see Soviet science degenerating. By the time we get to Anthropology or Economics where all the data is a mess and effects happen on a generational timescale there's nothing of value left.
We see this in western medical science. We have gotten very good at managing acute injury. Patching people up after gunshot wounds, for instance, we are excellent at. Go for a walk anywhere in the country and you can see that for chronic conditions out medical knowledge is at best useless. Western nutrition is an failure. Psychological medical practice etc.
There's a conspiracy of elites that understand "bee orchid kindergarten soccer" is the natural tendency of people, and exploit that to their own ends of collapsing society and instituting a dystopia of pod-living bug-eaters?
Because from where I sit, that seems the most logical explanation (this and that, instead of this or that).
Your discussion of Lynskoism reminded me of Deutsch's classification of memes: anti-rational (ie static) memes vs rational (ie dynamic) memes in The Beginning of Infinity.
The labels describe their mode of replication (not their content).
Rational (ie dynamic) memes outcompete others by being useful and surviving criticism better than false ideas.
Anti-rational (ie static) memes rely on being shielded from criticism to survive. Religion and cults are quintessential examples: They disable people's creativity to stop criticism of the meme (via things like blasphemy and apostasy). People are unable to reject the idea. Thus the meme survives. Lysenkoism and Wokeism are other examples of a successful static meme.
the problem with the "Bee Orchid" theory is that it is bullshit. I don't know if this, in itself, helps to make the point of your article, but well done either way.
I'm trying to figure out where you're going with this line of thought. It sounds like that you believe that rationalists have been and will be neutered by the "mediocres". At least that was what was suggested by the cartoons I liked those!). If that's true, then what? Is there no solution? Is Christianity defunct? Personally, and by inclination, I'm a Cowenite short term pessimist and long-term optimist. I believe, without evidence but with the ability of man throughout history to overcome adversity and continue on, we shall overcome tyranny with average Americans.
Good article. Good way of thinking about this pattern.
I think we see the importance of hard endpoints in science here. The further away we get from a outcome that is testable by an outsider, the more likely that we are looking at a bee orchid rather than a bee. Similarly, we can tell a bee and a bee orchid apart by asking them both to make honey.
Soviet mathematics and engineering were still basically valid. The Sputnik program put a man in space, the Soviet nuclear program was a success with a few hiccups. When we move into subjects like biology where theories are harder to validate empirically we see Soviet science degenerating. By the time we get to Anthropology or Economics where all the data is a mess and effects happen on a generational timescale there's nothing of value left.
We see this in western medical science. We have gotten very good at managing acute injury. Patching people up after gunshot wounds, for instance, we are excellent at. Go for a walk anywhere in the country and you can see that for chronic conditions out medical knowledge is at best useless. Western nutrition is an failure. Psychological medical practice etc.
So, WHAT IF...
There's a conspiracy of elites that understand "bee orchid kindergarten soccer" is the natural tendency of people, and exploit that to their own ends of collapsing society and instituting a dystopia of pod-living bug-eaters?
Because from where I sit, that seems the most logical explanation (this and that, instead of this or that).
Your discussion of Lynskoism reminded me of Deutsch's classification of memes: anti-rational (ie static) memes vs rational (ie dynamic) memes in The Beginning of Infinity.
The labels describe their mode of replication (not their content).
Rational (ie dynamic) memes outcompete others by being useful and surviving criticism better than false ideas.
Anti-rational (ie static) memes rely on being shielded from criticism to survive. Religion and cults are quintessential examples: They disable people's creativity to stop criticism of the meme (via things like blasphemy and apostasy). People are unable to reject the idea. Thus the meme survives. Lysenkoism and Wokeism are other examples of a successful static meme.
Re Deutsch more generally, he seemingly contradicts many ideas in Rationalism which need to be reconciled as I discuss here: https://falliblepieces.substack.com/p/david-deutsch-eats-rationalism.
People pretend not to like grapes when the vines are too high for them to reach.
Marguerite de Navarre
Mediocrity is easier to reach for most.
the problem with the "Bee Orchid" theory is that it is bullshit. I don't know if this, in itself, helps to make the point of your article, but well done either way.
I'm trying to figure out where you're going with this line of thought. It sounds like that you believe that rationalists have been and will be neutered by the "mediocres". At least that was what was suggested by the cartoons I liked those!). If that's true, then what? Is there no solution? Is Christianity defunct? Personally, and by inclination, I'm a Cowenite short term pessimist and long-term optimist. I believe, without evidence but with the ability of man throughout history to overcome adversity and continue on, we shall overcome tyranny with average Americans.
Perhaps you might like: https://newcriterion.com/issues/2019/10/leninthink
And: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Burnham