Or could this actually be a distant galaxy taken by the Hubble Telescope? A crystal resting on black velvet in Austria? That’s one problem with science as we know it nowadays. When astronomers first discovered that the sun was in the center of the solar system, they were able to present their proofs and fellow scientists were in position to check those findings.
But when we see a picture taken with an electron microscope, we end up taking a lot on faith. Suppose the above paragraph had allegedly been written by James Smith, M.D. How would you know if James Smith existed? I’m sure he does. It would be nightmarish tracking this fellow through cyberspace, I imagine. How do we identify reliable sources of information?
Like the problem of the water fountains (if you go way back in the blog, the technomagic of the times was attacked previously — I may address important topics more than once) this question of reliable information needs to come more front and center in our consciousness. We rely on the internet and televised news, in particular, without always vetting the information coming our way. I’ve strayed into the serious here, which I mostly avoid. But as I listen to the information on Benghazi, I naturally stray to the issue of zombies. If the zombies started to take over downtown Portland, and the government dropped the ball (or simply got blindsided), would you be able to rely on subsequent reports about Portland? What do YOU think?
