Inverse stopped clock
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*Harry Elmer Barnes endorsing [[Holocaust denial]]. | *Harry Elmer Barnes endorsing [[Holocaust denial]]. | ||
*[[George Carlin]] giving voice to [[Truther]]s. | *[[George Carlin]] giving voice to [[Truther]]s. | ||
| − | *[[Noam Chomsky]] flirting with denial of the [[Cambodia]]n [[genocide]] that occurred under [[Pol Pot]], among other atrocities. | + | *[[Noam Chomsky]] flirting with denial of the [[Cambodia]]n [[genocide]] that occurred under [[Pol Pot]] and the Srebrenica massacre, among other atrocities. |
*[[Richard Dawkins]] making outlandish statements on [[gender]], [[Islam]] and even [[pedophilia]] as he gets older. | *[[Richard Dawkins]] making outlandish statements on [[gender]], [[Islam]] and even [[pedophilia]] as he gets older. | ||
*Tommy Douglas ([[universal health care]] advocate in [[Canada]]) supporting [[eugenics]]. | *Tommy Douglas ([[universal health care]] advocate in [[Canada]]) supporting [[eugenics]]. | ||
Revision as of 05:26, 7 November 2013
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Contents |
Explanation
Due to the imperfect nature of human beings, even reasonable people will make a mistake every now and then, often by chance alone. Perhaps something cranky (e.g. a conspiracy theory) appeals to someone's ideology and they go with it, even if they're usually correct on other subjects. Other times they may panic and do something stupid in response to a sometimes over exaggerated threat or situation. The difference between these people and other cranks is that they are usually not crazy, but every time an inverse stopped clock situation takes place their reputation becomes slightly more soiled. (The degree of stupidity also makes a difference, and if the moment is crazy enough they may never be able to live it down, with everything they say being up for question after the incident.)
The most dangerous part of the inversed stopped clock is that the crankery supported may be given much more weight than if it was supported by known nut job, due to the usually decent/sane reputation of the person promoting it. The opposite could also happen, and the person's one crank belief will become, again, mainly what they are known for, leaving the rest of their work marginalized by association. An example of the latter is Peter Duesberg and his HIV denialism.
Ultracrepidarianism
A similar, slightly different, case is the "ultracrepidarian," who has a tendency to make authoritative pronouncements in matters above their level of knowledge. Often, those pronouncements fall entirely outside the ultracrepidarian's realm of legitimate expertise. The English term appears to have been coined around the early 19th century, having its origin in Pliny the Elder's record of the 4th century BCE artist Apelles' willingness to accept a cobbler's criticism of his rendering of a sandal, but rejection of other artistic advice, saying, "sutor, ne ultra crepidam," or, "shoemaker, not above the sandal." (The adage, "cobbler, stick to your last," means essentially the same thing.)[1]
Ultracrepidarians need not be usually correct — instead, their claim to fame is that they habitually stray outside the bounds of their acknowledged competence, becoming noted for crankery or other public silliness.
Examples
- David Attenborough endorsing the aquatic ape hypothesis.
- Harry Elmer Barnes endorsing Holocaust denial.
- George Carlin giving voice to Truthers.
- Noam Chomsky flirting with denial of the Cambodian genocide that occurred under Pol Pot and the Srebrenica massacre, among other atrocities.
- Richard Dawkins making outlandish statements on gender, Islam and even pedophilia as he gets older.
- Tommy Douglas (universal health care advocate in Canada) supporting eugenics.
- Freeman Dyson outside his contributions to physics.
- Eisenhower, JFK, and LBJ not knowing how to restrain themselves with Containment.
- Gottlob Frege being an enthusiastic Nazi.
- Sam Harris going from criticism of Islam to outright Islamophobia.
- Bill Hicks, a JFK assassination conspiracy theorist.
- Christopher Hitchens becoming a chickenhawk.
- Thomas Jefferson and George Washington - liberators, great wise heads of political philosophy... and slavekeepers.
- Michio Kaku bullshitting about UFOs and Fukushima.
- Ray Kurzweil's transhumanism and taking 150+ vitamin pills a day (and is still alive).
- Bill Maher associating with PETA and embracing vaccine denialism, Big Pharma buffoonery and sexism.
- H.L. Mencken, for being anti-democracy, a bit of a racist and giving Ayn Rand her career.
- Harvey Milk, gay rights pioneer (and martyr), first elected openly gay public official in the US... and friend and defender of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple.
- Pretty much all of Sir Patrick Moore's non-science-related work.
- Isaac Newton, physics genius, mathematics genius, astrologer.
- Penn and Teller fuelling global warming denialists and denying risks around second-hand smoke.
- James Randi briefly being a global warming denialist.
- FDR interning hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans and attempting to pack the Supreme Court.
- Michael Shermer (as with P&T, being a libertarian means one may be willing accept a load of anti-science in an instant).
- Hunter S. Thompson being a Truther.
- Everything said out of Thunderf00t's mouth since 2012.
- Mark Twain being a believer in telepathy.
- Cenk Uygur flirting with denial of the Armenian Genocide.
- Voltaire being a raving anti-Semite and racist.
- James D. Watson's race realism.
See also
- Courtier's Reply
- Dunning-Kruger effect
- Engineers and woo
- Nobel disease
- Salem hypothesis
- Crank magnetism