SCIENCE, SCIENTISTS AND SCIENTISM

Jun 06, 2021 - 11:03 Leave a Comment 931 views

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Science, Scientists and Scientism

I think most of us wish to trust science and the scientists dedicated to researching and discovering the truth about what is. For the most part, we consider scientists to be impartial observers of truth, and so we accept whatever consensus emerges in the scientific community. After all, we can credit scientists for civilization’s technological advancement, from the light bulb and internal combustion motor of the last century to space travel and the (ubiquitous) Internet of our day, not to mention countless other innovations we often take for granted.

Yet, we should be aware that science can be conscripted for some rather nefarious causes that distort objective evidence for political ends. That’s because scientists are human, and there is no assurance that they can’t be lured into lucrative positions of authority, power and money. Or if not lured, perhaps threatened and bullied into accepting whatever positions that serve dubious interests related to monetary and political ends.

I could, but won’t, site several currently ‘settled’ causes and issues that are not only scientifically questionable, but with agendas having little to do with truth, and everything to do with contrived narratives. Science, when compromised for an ideology, money, social bias or political end, is no longer science but becomes what is referred to as scientism. As an ‘ism,’ it is no longer objective, but subjective, being subjugated to ulterior motives and prejudices.

In a word (or term) this is what has become known as ‘junk science,’ where truth is what you want it to be, simply by manipulating select data. Computer models, for example, can be easily be programmed to generate whatever conclusions are desired. Often, the more prestigious the scientific institution, the less likely the study’s conclusions will be questioned since they are often considered beyond reproach. And so, the fix is in.

Perhaps undefined no other means is as effective in perpetrating junk science as corporate and government grant money and peer review censorship to control scientific agendas. Then the word ‘science’ is invoked to silence opposition and further dialogue. (We often hear the phrase, ‘follow the science,’ meaning their science, their truth, their narrative.)

This is not to say most scientists aren’t dedicated to truth. Nevertheless, perhaps as never before, contrary evidence, is often buried, ignored and discredited if it challenges the prevailing narratives of those in power. Mr Bean gets that.

Rather than go into more detail on this topic, I have included an excerpt from the second book and the Elysium’s Passage novel series.

From Chapter 1, Elysium’s Passage: The Summit

‘But in truth,’ Mo said, ‘the world is only beginning to receive intimations of what more exists through the quantum wormhole. When the spheres of multi-dimensional cosmoses become known to the world, science will no longer be limited to the perceptions of hard-core, entrenched empiricism.

‘Though the various Superstring theorems might not have everything right, there’s still much to these equations that theoretical physicists have right, perhaps more than they realize. At least they understand something about dimensions, even though they are yet not sure how many exist or what that may mean for existence.[1]

‘Until materialists are confronted with higher dimensions that expose their narrow prejudices, they will continue to martial public opinion against anything not outwardly verified by their linear measurements. Ultimately, their dualistic, subject-object understanding of the universe will no longer be adequate to take scientists from here to there, no matter how brilliant they are.

‘Only advanced physicists who move beyond the limitations of the brain’s intellect into intuitive realms of enlightenment with a broad understanding of the cosmos will be prepared to challenge the imposed strictures of materialist doctrine.’

‘Once again, Mo, you sound a bit extreme,’ I said. ‘You make it sound like most intellectuals are misguided fools. Though we might be a bit eccentric at times, I think overall, reason keeps us on course.’

‘Are you sure about that?’ Mo asked. ‘I think linear reasoning is what keeps everyone off course since reason alone is not sufficient for understanding anything beyond your world’s insular interpretations. Too many are afraid to think outside these narrow, mechanistic paradigms.

‘Most of your philosophers and scientists still assume reason alone is not only necessary but sufficient to understand what lies beyond reason’s purview. On a higher level of reality, reason is neither necessary nor sufficient for knowing anything.’

‘That’s quite the pronouncement, Mo. So, can you give me an example of this?’

‘Isn’t it obvious, we’ve just discussed subatomic physics? Though equations can sometimes be devised to help illustrate what happens with numbers, reason alone can’t explain what’s behind it. Or how about life? Not just components that sustain life, but life itself? Not to mention where it originates or what’s behind it?

‘We could discuss consciousness, not what it does, but what it is and what’s behind it. There are no rational answers to what lies behind anything… all remains outside the domain of reason. And so, there are no answers, necessary or sufficient, as to what lies at the very foundation of science.’

‘No one’s perfect,’ I said, ‘but it helps when there’s a panel of informed experts who can verify and endorse what’s posited, or, if necessary, dismissed as specious.’

‘But what if,’ Mo replied, ‘these esteemed panels did nothing more than serve as guardians of entrenched belief systems that ensure there will be no deviation from what’s socially, politically or corporately expedient? What happens when the interests of power and greed are involved? How objective will these peers remain when their reviews determine their career fortunes.

‘Furthermore, how long do you think any of these supposedly inveterate beliefs will hold up in another fifty years, or even ten? Perhaps you’ve heard of Eugenics, a socially acceptable science of eliminating the reproductive rights of anyone not considered fit for bringing life into this world. Remember, this was endorsed by those with academic authority.[2]

‘As discredited as that science became eventually, you may soon be hearing more of this once again from certain social engineers on your esteemed peer panels, many of which advocate depopulation of the world.’

‘Oh please, Mo; you now sound even more cynical,’ I said, ‘if not paranoid.’

‘Why should I be paranoid? I no longer live on earth… thank God. So, it’s not my problem; it’s your problem. I’m just trying to make you aware of what often goes on in the peer-review process. It’s not limited to what collusion might go on in the dingy backrooms of academia but whose global interests might be served. But, yes, I am cynical, at least towards these nefarious huddles. How could I not be; I know too much.’

‘That’s your right, I said, but it seems rather unfair for you to generalize as you do.’

‘Please understand that my criticism is not towards peer review groups, per se, but directed to those who smugly censure, ridicule and scorn those with contrary positions and opinions. I agree scholarly panels have a legitimate role in discerning what’s factual and what’s bogus, providing they dare to examine evidence that’s contrary to their established beliefs and vested interests.

‘I only wish to make you aware that these panels are not necessarily the repositories of impartial wisdom they present themselves as being. Too often, they have their collective egos vested in belief systems, no less than certain religions. That’s why it would be wise not to put too much confidence in their pronouncements, especially when dissent is penalized and silenced.’

‘And now it’s even easier to punitively sanction anyone on earth through cyberbullying, or even by innuendo on Social Media platforms. Is it possible that money, politics, fear, and misguided social movements have something to do with manipulating the masses to conform to dubious ideological beliefs? So, where’s the truth in that?’

From Chapter 9 of Elysium’s Passage: The Summit

After I became aware of how naïve I was, I began to question authority at a time when much of academia had spiralled into its collective Groupthink.[3] Not only did my friend, Dr Merta, encouraged me to deconstruct faddish assumptions, but to go further in debunking the debunkers who he distrusted. Many of these, he indicated, are less interested in truth than ripping apart beliefs without regard to what might not currently be in vogue.

‘I remember he once indicated how obvious it was that debunkers remained so selective in what they chose to debunk, always ensuring they would never be on the wrong side of what happens to be socially and intellectually fashionable. He would call them spineless trolls, along with a few other colourful imprecations.

‘I may not have always agreed with everything he said, but at least he caused me to become aware of what was going on, often pointing out how some of the most critical questions in the universe have never been asked. As with many secular religions, there are certain beliefs one isn’t supposed to question.

‘After I entered my doctorate studies, I began to question these various sacrosanct assumptions that undergird many beliefs, including the infallibility of the scientific method. I remember he would sometimes ask why the West pays such homage to a questionable methodology that shuts down any enquiry into whatever lies beyond its reach. It’s one thing to suggest something lies beyond the boundaries of science, and quite another to say it doesn’t exist because it doesn’t conform to the current purviews of science.

‘When I started to ask these questions, I found no one wished to talk to me about them. Likely, they considered it too unsettling to reconsider what was presumed to have been settled a long time ago.'

‘It’s also likely that many of your queries were considered too metaphysical to take on.’ Mo said, ‘especially in an era that demands all reality be reduced to empirical data. Few seem to know how to address ultimate questions that go beyond the confines of science. Perhaps that’s why most don’t bother since they have little understanding how to go about this.’

FOOTNOTES

[1] Superstring M-theory advocates eleven dimensions, while bosonic string theory suggests space-time has twenty-six dimensions
[2] Eugenics was an early twentieth-century movement of social philosophy advocating the forcible sterilization of those perceived as having less than desirable traits while encouraging enhanced reproduction by those considered to have more desirable traits. Plato had also advocated this.
[3] Groupthink is a term derived from Geoge Orwell’s book Nineteen Eight-Four which warns of a dysfunctional psycho-socio phenomenon that can occur when conformist thinking becomes normative, often resulting from irrational fear-based indoctrination designed to serve the interests of the authorities.

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To read about recent examples of 'junk science' go to

TRUTH ABOUT PCR TESTS
http://digitalbloggers.com/arts-and-entertainment/pcr-test-scam

Corona Virus Controversy: Herd Immunity vs Lockdown
https://digitalbloggers.com/arts-and-entertainment/corona-virus-shut-down-or-herd-immunity

Just Say No
https://digitalbloggers.com/relationships/just-say-no-to-masks

TO VAX OR NOT TO VAXX
https://digitalbloggers.com/arts-and-entertainment/vaxx-or-not-vaxx

SCIENCE AND 'THE EXPERTS'
https://digitalbloggers.com/arts-and-entertainment/science-and-the-experts

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SUMMARY OF ELYSIUM'S PASSAGE NOVEL SERIES

This is the first in a series of five Elysium narrations regarding a young British philosopher named James Phillips, who finds himself living in an altered state of reality while still remaining on earth.

After experiencing a near-fatal fall while climbing to the summit of a remote mountain in the Andes, James awakens in a new dimension. He soon encounters two mysterious beings who provide him with a very different perspective on the nature of his existence. Over the next year, before his body recovers from the coma, he is challenged to re-examine his understanding of life’s meaning and purpose far beyond anything he previously believed or could believe.

An engaging and sometimes surreal adventure with intimations of impending romance, the narrative explores the most important questions about life, death, reality, and our ultimate destiny.

The Plains of Elysium (Champs-Élysées) was described by Homer, Hesiod, Virgil, and many other poets as the paradisiac afterlife realm reserved for heroes. As the title suggests, this is about a journey through a passage that leads towards Elysium’s exciting realm of adventures.

To read a sample press review at https://www.prweb.com/releases/2018/05/prweb15515775.htm

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ELYSIUM'S PASSAGE: READER REVIEWS

The following comments are excerpts from among the first readers, including a number of Amazon five star reviews. To read the full reviews, go to READER REVIEWS on www.elysiumspassage.com or directly at https://digitalbloggers.com/arts-and-entertainment/reader-reviews

"A delightful mix of fantasy, reality, conjecture, and humour; Mr Meyers draws the reader into the story with a gentle narrative that captures the imagination, leaving one anxious to get to the next page drawing you into his exceptional world.”

"Quietly, gently, and without imposition, the Author unfolds the pages, creating an intricate, interlocking bridge spanning the chasm between mind and heart. Renewing, refreshing, restoring. In my bereavement, it was vigil and light…."

“Excellently written with an exceedingly deep understanding of this world and the next. The characters are very well written and engaging. I can't wait to complete this book!"

“Takes the reader on both a philosophical and spiritual journey, a journey that at times is both disquieting and tranquil. James, a British Philosopher, can be irreverent and caustic, traits that should have left me cringing but instead made me laugh out loud. Elysium’s Passage is a fun, enlightening and remarkable book.”

“This is a masterful fantasy, becoming a real possibility, as the reader is drawn into the story. The Summit leaves you anxious for the next book in the series, yet also leaves you totally satisfied with the world you have just visited. Genius! An exciting yet calming experience that is not to be missed."

"There was hardly a page on which I did not find at least one sentence worthy of hi-lighting for future reference. In addition, I thoroughly enjoyed the main character, James, whose personality and passionate verbal exchanges with the other characters kept me coming back for more. I am reading the book for a second time while I wait for the next one in this series to be made available."

“N.G. Meyers has clearly put a great deal of research and thought into what the afterlife may look like, and I like his perspective. It’s an altogether welcoming and exciting vision. The book gives one a great deal to think about and a reassuring confidence that the end of our lives is truly the beginning of life in the next. I highly recommend it."

"I am really enjoying your book, it’s fantastic! It is so incredible and diversified that I can’t really explain it to other people, so what I say is just read this book. Thank you so much for the blessings that you’ve given the world!"

“The humour interjected into a serious discussion makes me laugh out loud. Totally unexpected....l may be in the presence of at least a master, if not a genius. A fair ride into reality... seeking that which is unseen, yet absolutely real.”

“An engaging story of adventure embracing man's deepest desire to search for meaning and purpose, N.G. Meyers takes the reader on an adventurous, thought-provoking journey. This book has substance. It is a perfect blend of adventure and fantasy combined with spiritual philosophy. It ignited my imagination. The author magically weaves a good story laced with wit and humour together with deep philosophical wisdom. This book has it all!”

“An evolution in thought is triggered by many fresh philosophical themes which could inspire readers to re-think their reality and former ideologies that have dictated their lives… the author fires readers’ imaginations to view what could be possible when spirit vacates the body.”

“This is the book spiritual seekers have been waiting for. For me, it granted a great read as well as increased inspiration to live every day with a heightened sense of purpose. I highly recommend it.

“The Summit is capable of hooking readers and luring them to search for Book 2 to discover more about Dr Philip’s surreal trek into the mysterious unknown universe. This thick book is well worth the read and to share…”

“Mind-blowing statements and speculation (‘…everyone is a non-physical thought form conceived in the Mind of God, preserved for all eternity because God’s thoughts never die…’). Many will find Meyers’ journey up the Mountain intriguing—and possibly even life-changing.” (BLUEINK REVIEW)

“In its effort to grapple with fundamental questions about the meaning of life, it raises questions that have echoed throughout the ages, including about where we come from, where we are going, who we are.” (CLARION REVIEW)