Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

I went to the bookstore in search of the new P. J. O’Rourke book I wrote about yesterday. Not in, but on order. Maybe I’ll get it this weekend.

So, as I always do, I browsed. Only for an hour or two, though.

I found Intellectual Morons by Daniel J. Flynn and began reading it last night.

The act of abandoning an idea when contrary evidence disproves it is hardly unusual in the hard sciences. Contrary evidence in the social sciences and the humanities often has the opposite effect: devotees tighten their embrace of the theory. As a result, their grip on reality loosens. When you tether yourself to ideology, you necessarily liberate yourself from facts. You become an intellectual moron.

I try very hard to make myself focus on facts, especially facts which contradict my beliefs. It is called “learning.” Like everyone, I get disturbed when something upsets the balance of those beliefs. But knowledge rides an edge, and new information can tilt you one way or the other if you are willing to learn. Intellectual Morons have jumped off that edge into the abyss called ideology which lies on either side, and they are virtually unrecoverable.

A simple, current example is the absolute surety with which some people insist Dubya got favorable treatment in the TANG, and skipped out on his commitment. Facts show that isn’t true. Rather than back off, they become even more convinced. They simply can’t bring themselves to even try and climb back up on that edge.

I am diligent in trying not to become an Intellectual Moron. Reading others’ blogs certainly helps.