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EP: Shut up and sing! Pharyngula

EP:Shutupandsing!Pharyngula
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ThisisoneofaseriesofpostsImworkingonoverthenextfew daystocriticizeevolutionarypsychology.Morewillbecoming underthelabelEP! Recently,BobCostas,asportsannouncer,spokeoutaboutgun control.Inreply,therightwinghasbeeninafrenzyof denunciationsheshouldjustshutup,hesnotqualifiedto speak,hecantpossiblyhavereasonableopinionsaboutanything otherthanfootball(ofcourse,thesesameangrycommentators dontexpresssimilaropinionsaboutTedNugent).ItscalledShut UpandSingSyndrome. NamedafteraLauraIngrahambookanda2006documentary abouttheharshreactiontotheDixieChicksantiBush comments,thissyndromecondemnsmanyAmericansto believethatactors,musiciansandathletesreally,anyone notdeemedpoliticalexpertshavenorighttousetheir platformtoaddressissuesconsideredpoliticalinnature.In thiscase,conservativesareinsistingthatCostasisnotmerely wrongonthesubstanceofhisgunrelatedcomments,butalso that,accordingtotheNewYorkTimes,itwasinappropriate tousetheplatformofanNFLtelecasttomakearguments concerningahotbuttonissuelikeguncontrol. Theinsinuationisthatasasportscaster,hehasnostandingto weighinonapoliticalissue.Inotherwords,likecriticsof outspokenathleteswhotellthemtoshutupandplay,critics wantCostastosimplyshutupandtalkonlyaboutsports. Soundfamiliar?Itshould.Itsaprobleminmorethanjust entertainmentandpoliticsitsalsoaprobleminskepticism. Whatitreallyisisanauthoritariandefenseoforthodoxythat
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EP: Shut up and sing! Pharyngula

dismissescriticismunlessitcomesfromtherightkindofperson preferablyonecomfortablyembeddeddeeplyintheorthodox position.ItsaversionoftheCourtiersReply,onlyinthiscaseits usedtodefendscience,orapoliticalposition,ratherthan theology.ShutUpandSingSyndromeimposesunjustifiable barrierstocriticism:youdontgettocriticizethesubjectathand unless,forinstance,youhaveaPh.D.intherelevantsubject,or someotherloftycredential,evenifthecriticismisbasedon obviousandtrivialflawsthatalaypersoncansee. Thelaypersoncouldbewrong,ofcourse,becausetheyrelacking somedeeperunderstandingandarefocusingonsuperficialities. Buteveninthatcase,theproperresponseisnttodeclarethat theyshouldnotbeallowedtovoicethatopinionbecausethey donthavetherightcredentials,buttoaddressthecriticism.Andif thelaypersonisrightabouttheproblem,hooboy,butareyou screwingupifyouretryingtosilencethem. ThatshappeningtoRebeccaWatsonrightnow.Shedaredtopoint outthatalotofpopandevolutionarypsychologyisbadscience, andasareward,thewitchhuntisinragingprogress.Weve actuallygotpeopledeclaringthatsheonlyhasabachelorsdegree incommunications,thereforeshewasntqualifiedtotalkabouta fieldofevolutionarybiology.Somepeopleareslylyarguingthat sheshouldntbeallowedtotalkaboutscienceatallat conferences,andcomparinghertoJennyMcCarthyandBillMaher. Imtryingtosaythatskepticsshouldcriticizepeoplewhotalk outoftheirassesaboutscienceonapublicstage. AndImtryingtosaythatskepticsshouldcriticizeitrather thandoitthemselves. Askeptic,likeanyoneelse,isentitledtomakeamistakeor two,evenabigone.However,makingahabitoutofspouting
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EP: Shut up and sing! Pharyngula

onesuneducated/undereducatedopinion(orregurgitating onesowninterpretationofacherrypickedopinionofan expert)fromastageisnotwhatgoodskepticsdoitswhat peoplelikeMcCarthyandMaherdo.Itshouldntbetolerated, muchlessencouraged. Iveheardthisbefore,fromcranksontheotherside,andIcan mentiononenamethatoughttogivetheseskepticspause:Emily Rosa. Rememberher?Thenineyearoldgirlwhopublishedherscience fairprojectthatshowedthattherapeutictouch,whichclaimsthat practitionerscandiagnoseailmentsbywavingtheirhandsabove them,didntwork?Shegotthesamekindofresponsefrom quacks,whodismissedherexperimentbecauseitwasaninsultto allthenursesanddoctorswhobelievedinit,andbecauseshewas alittlenobodywhocouldntknowhowtodesignanexperiment. Theywereright.Shedidnthaveahighschooldiplomaeven. Heck,shehadntmanagedtograduatefrom6thgradeyet!How couldshepossiblyfindanythingwrongwiththeideasofMDsand nurseswhohadyearsandyearsoftraining? Easy.Sometimeshighlyeducatedpeopleholdstupidideas stupidideasthatarentthathardtounmask.Andsometimesthe worstkindofattitudecomesfrompeoplewhohaveablindfaithin theworkofexperts,tothepointthattheyassumetheycanterr, orthattheprocessofscienceissorobustthatitcantfail. Scienceusespeerreview(notjustreview)toweedoutbad studies,testtherobustnessoffindings,anddiscuss appropriateconclusions.Peersarepeoplewhoworkinthe samefieldexperts. OK,stoplaughing.Iknowyouallknowthatsomeofthemost
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EP: Shut up and sing! Pharyngula

execrablecrapgetspublishedinpeerreviewedjournals,butthe aboveistheopinionofBarbaraDrescher,wellknownskepticand arbiterofwhatisTrueSkepticism.Shehasadegree,howcould shebewrong? Everyscientistknowsthatpeerreviewisnotinfallible.Wespenda goodchunkofourtrainingsittinginjournalclubs,mercilessly tearingapartpaperspublishedineventhemostprestigious journals.Peerreviewhelpsweedoutsomeofthebadstuff,soits agoodthingbutitjustimprovestheodds.Andwhenyouvegot somedeeplyingrownsubfieldwhereallthepeersbuyintothe samebullshit,andapproveandpublisheachotherspapers,the garbagecanreachtoxiclevels. Andsometimesitsreallyusefultohaveoutsiderslookinand makecriticismsandsuggestionsitcanshakeyououtofthe cozywarmeasinessofdogmaandgetyouthinkingproductively. Forinstance,Ithinkphilosophershavemadeinvaluable contributionstoevolutionarybiology,forcingmetoquestionsome assumptionsandrethinksomeofmyoldideas.Ialsothink amateurshavebeeninvaluable,somethingDrescherfinds unlikely. Scientistsinrelatedfields(orevencompletelydifferentfields) aresometimesabletocriticizethemethodologyofagiven study,butbigpicturestuffusuallyrequiresspecificexpertise. Nonscientistexpertsinafieldofsciencearerare.VERYrare. No,itsnotthatrare.Asktheastronomers,whohaveadeepand widetraditionofamateurobservers.Asktaxonomists,whohave longreliedonnonscientistcollectors.Asktheskeptics,Dreschers ownpeergroup,whohavebeenputtingpeopleonstageandin printforyearswhohavenoscientificcredentialsatall.Areallthe UFOlogistswhohavebeendebunkingsightingsbeentestpilotsand
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EP: Shut up and sing! Pharyngula

rocketscientists?HavealltheBigfootandchupacabradebunkings beendonebyexpertswithPh.D.sinzoology?Havetheskeptics whoexposebleedingstatuesofthemadonnaasnatural phenomenaallbeenequippedwithadvancedtheologydegrees? Iwillalsopointoutthatsometimestheexpertsarebusy,oraloof fromthepublic,ortakeacceptanceoftheirdisciplineforgranted, andtheyarentinterestedinparticipatinginapublicdiscussionof theirfield.Thatsthecaseinevolutionarybiology,forinstance, wherethetrulyrareindividualisthequalified,credentialedexpert inaparticularfieldwhoiswillingtospendthetimeinpublic education(itdoesnthelp,either,thatoftenoutreachisderided withinafieldasawasteoftime).Therelevantspecificexpertiseis someaccurateknowledgeofscienceandanenthusiasmfor communicatingittoothers.Ifyouregoingtosilencethe communicatorswhodonthaveadvanceddegreesanddeep expertiseinafield,youregoingtoseriouslydryuptherosterof peoplewhoareallowedtoeducatethepublic.Andyouregoingto havetofirealotofnotablepublicscholars. BillNye?Mechanicalengineer.Iguessthatrecentstuffabout evolution,climatechange,andspaceexplorationwillhavetostop. DavidAttenborough?Hedoeshaveanundergraduatedegreein thenaturalsciences,buthiscareertrainingwasinmanagement andbroadcasting.Offwithhisshows! BillBryson?Collegedropout.Oops.Clearoutthatchunkofthe bookshelf. AdamSavage?Artschooldropout.Man,thatguycanthave anythingworthwhiletocontribute. Icouldgoon.Butthepointisifyouthinknonscientistswith somethingusefultosayaboutsciencearerare,notonlyareyou wrong,butyouaredamningmostoftheplanettoignorance.In
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myperfectworld(whichisnthereyet,obviously)everyonewould havethebasiccompetencetounderstandandcritiquegeneral ideasaboutscience,andcouldunderstandthelogicofascience experiment.Itshouldntbethathard.Itshouldntberare. Sometimesyoucanshakeupthebigpicturestuffbyfocusingon thedetails.Sometimesthereallytellingrevealsoccurwhenan amateurandanoutsiderpointoutthatanexperimentor methodologyarewrongespeciallywhentheexpertsdismissthe objectionswithacondescending,well,thatrequiresspecific expertisetounderstand. Andthatsthecasehere. RebeccaWatsonturnedoverthecarcassofevolutionary psychologyandexposedalotoftherotunderneath.Whatshedid wastalkaboutaseriesofpublishedevolutionarypsychologywork, andresearchthatwastoutedaslegitimatescience,thatwas obviously,patently,raginglybogusstuffthatwassowrongthat youreallydontneedanadvanceddegreeinanesotericfieldto seeit.Itwasbadsciencethroughandthrough. Nowyoucouldsaythatmaybethosearetheexceptionsevery fieldhasbadactorsinit,andmisinterpretedandmisleading experiments.MaybeWatsondoesnthaveenoughdepthof understandingtoappreciatethegoodworkdoneinthewholeof evolutionarypsychology,andhercondemnationwastoo sweeping. Thatspossible. Butheresthattellingreveal:inresponsetoanexposofshoddy sciencewithinthefield,theevolutionarypsychologistsarent saying,withsomeembarrassment,Yeah,weneedtocleanhouse abit,andweshouldmaybebecriticizingthesloppywork ourselvesalittlemoreloudly.No,insteadtheyresaying,Kick
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heroffthestagerightnow.Sheisaccusedofbeingascience denialist.Alltheattentionisbeingpaidtoabiasedcritiqueof Watsonstalkthatdoesadamnedpoorjobofdefending evolutionarypsychology. Iknowwhatsciencedenialismis.Ithinkdenyingtheflawsinyour ownscienceisaprettygoodexampleofit. (Whatscomingnext:Illbeaddressingthepossibilitythatawhole fieldcouldbewrong,thenIlldiscusstheflawedpremisesof evolutionarypsychology,andthendigintoafewsamplepapers papersthatIvebeenassuredrepresentgoodevolutionary psychology.Bytheway,ifanyvaliantdefendersofEPwantto sendmeanexampleoftheverybestofthefield,Illtrytoinclude someIdonotdenythattherecanbegoodresearchcarriedout byevolutionarypsychologists.)

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