Cascading bad ideas could be downfall of humanity - NYTimes

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/science/09tier.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

OK, sure, I sensationalized the headline a little, but that threat at the heart of the issue. A Cascade is a term sociologists use when referring to bad ideas disseminating "like a cascade" from a smaller group to a larger group, eventually becoming the accepted view.

Say one group of experts purport that the earth is flat. They use all the best evidence of the time and "prove" their point. Any subsequent theories are cast aside since the former idea has become the common understanding.

It reminds me of the early days of SKnet, back in 2000, when Olivier appeared to tell us Griffith was going to be reincarnated soon.. What a loony! :ganishka:

It makes me wonder what other large concepts have been misinterpreted and thus perpetuated by experts in the field for decades, or centuries...
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Walter said:
It reminds me of the early days of SKnet, back in 2000, when Olivier appeared to tell us Griffith was going to be reincarnated soon.. What a loony! :ganishka:

Well, it reminds me of tons of misconceptions on Berserk, most of which probably still survive in cesspools somewhere on the Internet.

Walter said:
It makes me wonder what other large concepts have been misinterpreted and thus perpetuated by experts in the field for decades, or centuries...

Honestly, History's full of them and I'm certain there are still many around. Like the fact the Earth is the center of the universe, some people still believe that.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Aazealh said:
Well, it reminds me of tons of misconceptions on Berserk, most of which probably still survive in cesspools somewhere on the Internet.
The concept has also been witnessed here in the dissimination of intentionally false scans/translations and characters that've been created here on Sknet. :guts:

:carcus: : "Behold — Supreme King Aolsier!"
:isidro: :isidro: :isidro: : "There's another wielder of the DS!"
:???: :???: :???: :???: :???: :???: :???: :???: :???: :???: :???: :???: :???: : "Whoa!"
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Walter said:
The concept has also been witnessed here in the dissimination of intentionally false scans/translations and characters that've been created here on Sknet.

Haha yeah, but did they become the general consensus? :serpico:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
This was the headline article of CNN.com, with that picture of her everything, when I went there after reading this...

Brokers snatch joy from Hannah Montana fans

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/12/montana.tickets/index.html

:isidro: :isidro: :isidro:... :schierke:


So yeah, my theory is that the once noble 4th estate will in fact be the downfall of humanity, sorry Wally. =)
 
Top Bottom