The latest dividing line between the parties: Trusting expertise

[lindysalsagal]

1. "Just 66 percent of millennials firmly believe that the Earth is round," read the summary from the pollster YouGov.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/observations/do-people-really-think-earth-might-be-flat/

“Just 66 percent of millennials firmly believe that the Earth is round,” read the summary from the pollster YouGov. Kids today, right? But it’s not only curmudgeons eager to complain about the younger generation who ought to find the survey of interest. For despite the recent prominence of flat-earthery among musicians and athletes, YouGov’s survey seems to have been the first systematic attempt to assess the American population’s views on the shape of the Earth.

Moreover, the results raised a number of compelling questions that deserve attention. For example, why is the scientifically established view on the shape of the Earth less popular among younger respondents (according to YouGov) when the scientifically established view on the history of life and on the cause of global warming have been, in poll after poll, more popular among younger respondents?

Healthy skepticism is a good thing, but reckless obstinance in the face of provable facts is ruining us.