This feels a bit like https://xkcd.com/386/ - you’re feeling the pain of knowing that incorrect thought is often rewarded above more rational beliefs. Where’s the justice?
Answer: nowhere. And I can’t offer great hope that it gets better—epistemic hygiene is pretty horrific even in STEM (and in the corporate world), outside of things simple enough to be resolved in the lab (or short-term market reaction). Most people are just bad at thinking. Fortunately, for much of your life, you’ll be able to pick your bubbles and arrange things to mostly ignore the worst of the idiots.
And, of course, I include myself in the problem—I have plenty of blind spots and things I don’t examine too closely. I don’t actually know which (if any) of my preferred models and approaches actually lead to better results, and I certainly don’t know that they’ll work for anyone but me. I take the risk of https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Other-optimizing very seriously.
To that point, I would recommend you grant a bit more agency to your fellow students—they’re allowed to choose what to take and what to leave from their classes, just like you are. Neither you nor they need permission nor agreement to believe what you believe. In fact, this may be the teacher’s point: you don’t have to believe THEM any more than they have to believe YOU.
Trying to fight with teachers or un-receptive students at every turn is unlikely to further any goals I can think of. It’s certainly a kindness (and a benefit to you, in refinement of your beliefs) to offer additional perspective (mostly outside of class, as a rationality club or the like), but it’s not your responsibility nor in your power to make them think the way you do.
This feels a bit like https://xkcd.com/386/ - you’re feeling the pain of knowing that incorrect thought is often rewarded above more rational beliefs. Where’s the justice?
Answer: nowhere. And I can’t offer great hope that it gets better—epistemic hygiene is pretty horrific even in STEM (and in the corporate world), outside of things simple enough to be resolved in the lab (or short-term market reaction). Most people are just bad at thinking. Fortunately, for much of your life, you’ll be able to pick your bubbles and arrange things to mostly ignore the worst of the idiots.
And, of course, I include myself in the problem—I have plenty of blind spots and things I don’t examine too closely. I don’t actually know which (if any) of my preferred models and approaches actually lead to better results, and I certainly don’t know that they’ll work for anyone but me. I take the risk of https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Other-optimizing very seriously.
To that point, I would recommend you grant a bit more agency to your fellow students—they’re allowed to choose what to take and what to leave from their classes, just like you are. Neither you nor they need permission nor agreement to believe what you believe. In fact, this may be the teacher’s point: you don’t have to believe THEM any more than they have to believe YOU.
Trying to fight with teachers or un-receptive students at every turn is unlikely to further any goals I can think of. It’s certainly a kindness (and a benefit to you, in refinement of your beliefs) to offer additional perspective (mostly outside of class, as a rationality club or the like), but it’s not your responsibility nor in your power to make them think the way you do.