Sincere fortune telling ... thank you

He was already there when I got off the plane. He is holding a piece of cardboard with my name on it. I'm going to attend a meeting between scientists and TV announcers. The content of the meeting is to increase the popular science programs of commercial TV stations. This effort seems hopeless. The organizer of the meeting kindly sent a car to pick me up.

While waiting for the checked baggage, he said, "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"No, of course I don't care."

"Won't you be confused with that guy who is engaged in science?"

It took me a while to understand the meaning of his question. He didn't lie to me, did he? I finally understood what he meant.

I replied, "I'm a scientist."

He paused and then smiled: "I'm sorry. I'm not sure about people. I also think that person is you. "

He held out his hand: "My name is William F. Buckley." Oh, yes, he's not William F. Buckley, but he does have the same name as the famous argumentative TV interviewer. For this reason, he will undoubtedly be often played some kind jokes. )

When we started a long journey in the car, the windshield wipers swung back and forth rhythmically. He told me that he was glad that I was a "scientist". He said he had a lot of questions about science and asked me if I mind.

No, I won't mind.

So we started chatting. But the topic is not science. What he wants to talk about is pity for aliens frozen in an air force base near San Antonio, "channels" (a way to hear what the dead are thinking-they say that the dead don't have much thoughts) and crystal balls. Nostradamus' prophecy. Astrology, the shroud of Turin. He introduced every omen to me with great enthusiasm, but every time I had to let him down.

"The evidence is unreliable," I kept saying. "It's all too simple an explanation."

To some extent, he has read many books. He knows all kinds of magical things that few people know according to speculation, such as the "sunken continent" in Oceania and Lemuria. He is very familiar with the submarine exploration that may be about to begin. Underwater exploration will find the arch columns and broken Islamic minarets in the glorious civilization era, but now only the glowing fish in the deep sea and the legendary huge Scandinavian siren will visit these ruins. However, although there are many secrets in the ocean, I know that there are no photos of the seabed and geological evidence to prove Dayu and Lemuria. As far as the current scientific research level is concerned, they have never existed. I told him my opinion a little reluctantly.

When we were driving in the rain, I could see that he was a little unhappy. What I deny is not only some wrong statements, but the precious things contained in his inner life.

There are many equally exciting things in real science. More mysterious. Smarter challenges, and many things close to the truth. Does he know that there is a molecular structure group brewing life in the cold and thin gas between stars? Has he ever heard of the footprints of early human ancestors found in volcanic ash 4 million years ago? Did the Indian plate hit the Asian plate and cause the Himalayas to uplift? How does the virus pierce DNA like a needle and cross the defense line of organisms, changing the replication function of cells? How to use radio waves to find alien intelligence? Does the advertisement of good quality of Ebola beer refer to the newly discovered Ebola ancient civilization? No, he has never heard of it. He doesn't even have a basic understanding of quantum uncertainty. He thinks that DNA is just three capital letters that are often written together.

Mr. Buckley is very talkative, intelligent and curious, but he knows almost nothing about modern science. He has an instinctive curiosity about the magical things in the universe. He wanted to know about science, but it had disappeared before reaching him. Our cultural theme, education system and mass media ruined him. Our society has given the green light to spread illusion and chaos. Our society never told him how to distinguish real science from cheap imitation. He knows nothing about scientific methods.

At present, there are hundreds of books describing Daxi. Daxi is a mysterious land. It is said that it existed in the Atlantic Ocean 1 10,000 years ago (it is also said that the address is set in Antarctica). The legend about Daxizhou can be traced back to Plato at the earliest, and his description of this continent is also hearsay from early people. Recently, a book authoritatively described the technology, noble moral standards and spiritual life of the highly developed Daxizhou era, as well as the tragic story of the mainland where residents lived everywhere sinking under the waves. There is also a "new era" in Oceania, when there was a "legendary civilization of advanced science", mainly studying the "science" of crystal balls. Among these three books with the same theme, one is "The Crystal Ball Enlightenment" written by Catheline Raphael, which is mainly responsible for the crystal ball craze that is popular in the United States. The crystal ball of the people of Oceania can see through other people's thoughts and transmit them. It is a treasure house of knowledge to interpret ancient history and the structure and origin of Egyptian pyramids. The book doesn't even provide any close evidence to illustrate the reliability of its conclusions. The revival of crystal ball divination fever began with a recent discovery in real seismology. It is said that the research found that the earth's core may be composed of a huge crystal ball with almost no impurities, but the actual research result is metal. )

Some books, such as The Legend of the Earth by Dorothy Vitalino, explain sympathetically that this small island in the Mediterranean Sea was destroyed by volcanic eruption, or that an ancient city sank into Corinth Bay after the earthquake. As far as we know, this statement may be a legend. This kind of disaster is impossible to destroy a continent that has created incredible advanced technology and mysterious civilization.

In public libraries, newsstand magazines or prime-time TV programs, we almost never find any real evidence in the study of submarine continental expansion, plate tectonics and submarine survey maps. And all the evidence shows that there has never been any continent between Europe and America.

It is generally believed that deceptive statements will only deceive credulous people. However, it is much more difficult to look at things with suspicion. Skepticism is not easily accepted. An intelligent and curious person whose spiritual life depends entirely on popular culture, in the information he receives like Daxizhou, there are hundreds of times that there is no critical nonsense, rather than serious, prudent and fair judgment.

Perhaps Mr. Buckley should know that he should be more skeptical about all kinds of rumors spread to him by popular culture. But beyond that, it's hard to say it's Mr. Buckley's fault. He just believes that the most widely circulated and easily obtained information is correct. Because of simple ignorance, he was misled and confused by the social system.