Q: Can anyone explain the phenomenon of public opinion? It seems like as soon as a popular opinion emerges a bunch of people just instantly agree A: I'd encourage you to watch Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower A lot of people are inspired to believe in something because of how intriguing it is to think about when it is suggested. A good example is the above statement. Most people would read it and just agree. I pulled it out of my arse, I have no stats to back it up. But it seems believable because it would be intriguing if people were just getting intrigued enough to believe in something. Take for example on of the core principles of the Scientific Method: Ockham's Razor (as it has become, not what it originally was). "When multiple theories explain the evidence, the one that makes the least assumptions should be chosen", often similarly stated as "keep it simple stupid". Well, my rebuttal to that is, "I'm not surprised that a simple person would think simpler is better", and I would cite my experimental research studying the friction of metals with and without various lubricants at various angles of elevation. In this experiment we had blocks of metal sitting on a lever that would be carefully raised until the metal slid down the lever. The angle was recorded and the experiment repeated. The equation for friction has long been 'known' and we had been taught it 3 or so years earlier. Now, the key piece of evidence we brought to the table was that in rare situations the lubricated block would remain stuck to the lever even beyond a 90 degree angle, yep, beyond the vertical. In the write-up for the experimental report, we had to declare these datapoints as 'outliers' to show that our 'learning outcomes' had been achieved for the class. When in actuality, one of the simplest equations and easiest procedures to verify was utterly bullshit. Sure, maybe after 1000 experiments we might produce an average that has a significant difference between lubricants to show that indeed as the lubricant is defined, the oil should decrease the friction (we weren't told if it decreased static or dynamic friction, simply that it decreases friction). It was through this simple experiment that I learnt that "keep it simple stupid" doesn't mean "keep it simple unless you want to be an idiot", it means "keep it simple, if you are an idiot." So to the modern version of Ockham's Razor proponents I say "when multiple theories explain the evidence, the one that makes the least assumptions is the simplest but not necessarily the best. But, of course, this is just a simplification." I regularly read scientific articles and deny their conclusions, reasoning and methods. And back to the crowd dynamics, for me to explain why people see a popularism as an "all aboard" sign to get on the bus, would require explaining why people with a common background education make common leaps in reasoning. Basically, it's because we've all been fenced in to ideas like "God is good, doubt is a sin", or it's alternative "god is man-made, skepticism is rational", or it's alternative "everything is everything", or "it is what it is" or "don't take it at face value". I'm the type of person that has the sneaking suspicion that following the theories with the least assumptions takes an eternity to converge on complete knowledge. But that's just a theory with only one assumption, that the conclusion is true. Another good film to watch is Mother! 2017. The main character, Jennifer Lawrence, is faced with that. It's the writer's exploration of that 'public opinion' phenomenon. The concept of the 'public' isn't all that old. Another facet of it, is that people's news on TV, newspaper and online is curated by popularity. So once something becomes popular enough to be seen, it's now easier for it to become more poular.
Viewcount: 336
Viewcount: 571
Viewcount: 467
Viewcount: 330
Viewcount: 335
Viewcount: 470
Viewcount: 342
Viewcount: 625
Viewcount: 23
Viewcount: 326
Viewcount: 337
Viewcount: 299
Viewcount: 333
Viewcount: 329
Viewcount: 326
Viewcount: 356
Viewcount: 317
Viewcount: 382
Viewcount: 349
Viewcount: 291
Viewcount: 306
Viewcount: 407
Viewcount: 493
Viewcount: 665
Viewcount: 378
Viewcount: 334
Viewcount: 332
Viewcount: 813
Viewcount: 308
Viewcount: 462
Viewcount: 313
Viewcount: 423
Viewcount: 306
Viewcount: 299
Viewcount: 305
Viewcount: 313
Viewcount: 281
Viewcount: 349
Viewcount: 277
Viewcount: 363
Viewcount: 283
Viewcount: 283
Viewcount: 319
Viewcount: 336
Viewcount: 448
Viewcount: 328
Viewcount: 346
Viewcount: 264
Viewcount: 288
Viewcount: 274
Viewcount: 325
Viewcount: 265
Viewcount: 434
Viewcount: 438
Viewcount: 438
Viewcount: 345
Viewcount: 295
Viewcount: 585
Viewcount: 374
Viewcount: 282
Viewcount: 277
Viewcount: 312
Viewcount: 424
Viewcount: 311
Viewcount: 310
Viewcount: 291
Viewcount: 298
Viewcount: 306
Viewcount: 296
Viewcount: 302
Viewcount: 321
Viewcount: 300
Viewcount: 285
Viewcount: 403
Viewcount: 310
Viewcount: 304
Viewcount: 271
Viewcount: 279
Viewcount: 299
Viewcount: 420
Viewcount: 280
Viewcount: 282
Viewcount: 286
Viewcount: 332
Viewcount: 291
Viewcount: 318
Viewcount: 339