Similar story here, only it was my father-in-law, who scoffed at all things irrational or superstitious and who was a very smart and well-read man who touted the achievements of "science" quite often. Cantankerous as he was, he was the only member of my wife's family I could talk to reasonably easily (though perhaps our mutual love of bourbon assisted with that.)
The last real conversation I remember having with him was at a holiday gathering, when he asked me if I was jabbed. When I told him no, he began to “educate” me about how effective the jabs were at protecting people. I didn't bother to argue, I just nodded, took another sip of bourbon, and tried to change the subject politely ASAP.
The man smoked for most of his life and loved his whiskey, but never seemed to suffer any great health problems till 2021 or so. Among other things, he then started to suffer from a rapidly progressing dementia, which he recognized early on. He stopped eating rather than prolong his decline and he died in the spring of last year.
He once gave me a copy of “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman. It strikes me that what we’re discussing here is an example of that book’s “System 1” and “System 2” thinking. The former is fast, quick, intuitive, heuristic-- how most people get by most of the time. The latter is logical, rational, deliberative, and takes more mental energy. Even the brightest, most scientific people are not immune to those mental shortcuts, and trusted authorities can become a shortcut to avoid hard thinking.
I miss him, and wish he were still around to discuss the record of the shots given new data. He probably would have been open to it. (Grudgingly!)
Re: Updated US Cooties Shots Statistics
Date: 2023-02-09 04:56 pm (UTC)The last real conversation I remember having with him was at a holiday gathering, when he asked me if I was jabbed. When I told him no, he began to “educate” me about how effective the jabs were at protecting people. I didn't bother to argue, I just nodded, took another sip of bourbon, and tried to change the subject politely ASAP.
The man smoked for most of his life and loved his whiskey, but never seemed to suffer any great health problems till 2021 or so. Among other things, he then started to suffer from a rapidly progressing dementia, which he recognized early on. He stopped eating rather than prolong his decline and he died in the spring of last year.
He once gave me a copy of “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman. It strikes me that what we’re discussing here is an example of that book’s “System 1” and “System 2” thinking. The former is fast, quick, intuitive, heuristic-- how most people get by most of the time. The latter is logical, rational, deliberative, and takes more mental energy. Even the brightest, most scientific people are not immune to those mental shortcuts, and trusted authorities can become a shortcut to avoid hard thinking.
I miss him, and wish he were still around to discuss the record of the shots given new data. He probably would have been open to it. (Grudgingly!)