[kwlug-disc] Ivermectin

[Khalid Baheyeldin]

On Sun, Nov 20, 2022 at 8:34 PM Khalid Baheyeldin <kb at 2bits.com> wrote:

> I have made it clear that the current evidence is against the efficacy
> of Ivermectin against COVID-19. That should be the current position
> of anyone who follows evidence and uses the science methodology.
>
> If new evidence emerges to the contrary (highly unlikely given the studies
> I quoted), then a change in position is warranted. Einstein was proven
> wrong about Quantum physics. This year's physics Nobel was exactly
> about that. The winners did not keep lamenting about dogma, and idol
> worship in science. One guy (John Stewart Bell) did the calculations,
> found
> a way to disprove the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paper. Others designed
> experiments and ran them and proved Einstein wrong.
>
> They did this while being part of academia, doing the hard work that needs
> to be done. They are not outsiders unfamiliar with the field's
> intricacies, claiming
> coverups, cabals, conspiracies, ...etc.
>
> See the difference?
>

Another example of when skepticism is healthy, and when it devolves into
baseless
conspiracy theories ...

We all know about SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. It is
an initiative
by research institutions to look for signs of intelligence life in nearby
planets, using
radio signal, laser, and other means. They get funding for doing such
research, and
even if they find nothing, at least we (humanity) looked ...

This is a far cry from UFO sightings that claim that aliens are already
here on earth,
and travelled millions of light years only to make a crop circle, mutilate
a cow, or
do colonoscopies on humans.

The list goes on: flat earth, moon landing hoax (and the USSR, USA, JAXA,
and ESA are
all colluding on those two!), 5G is a conspiracy to control people, school
shootings are
hoaxes by actors (Alex Jones is paying dearly for monetizing this
conspiracy), and the
list goes on and on and on ...

There are healthy discussions to be had on many topics, and skepticism is a
good
tool when used appropriately. On the other hand, there are conspiracy
theories that
soak up so much time from everyone, derail public discourse, create
fractures in society,
and harm people by making them think in uncritical ways.
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