Belief So Extreme


...They're not even willing to check it out.

Now that's sad, ain't it?

I've had the experience many times that a "discussion" of differing opinions ends up with categorical rejection of any idea that runs contrary to what a person believes. "That's just not so," said a pal in response to what I saw as irrefutable evidence that it is so.

Then I ran across an article in Science News about how mathematics is being used to fight terrorism. It's brilliant. It's effective and getting moreso fast. It puts to powerful use all those billions of bucks worth of intelligence we are buying. However, the very idea is running smack into the "belief so extreme" that it "just can't work" that some important intelligence types won't even see for themselves. Here's the paragraph that caught my eye.

ARGHHHHH.

Now that makes me mad. Sure, when I can't get someone to consider one of my ideas, it's frustrating. But when the "War on Terrorism" suffers from that kind of stubborn, ego-driven certainty, it's more than frustrating. It is patently STOOOOPID.

What? You don't believe it? It couldn't possibly be?

Sigh.

Read the whole article. It will give you hope.

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