FAST FORWARD TO THE PAST

The New York Times has outed itself as a propagandist, fake news outlet(again)...talk about shooting yourself in the foot...

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2017/04/19/nyt-hey-sorry-for-not-mentioning-that-the-palestinian-activist-we-published-murdered-five-israelis-n2314737?utm_source=thdailypm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl_pm&newsletterad=:

Still, most on the increasingly strident 'left side' of the zeitgeist really couldn't care two hoots about 'truth'. They have been indoctrinated in the Wests equivalent of Pol Pot's 're-education camps' (University Humanities departments) to believe that truth is merely a social construct (except their truth of course) and that all 'compassionate' and intelligent people must believe what they do or else they are not just wrong, but immoral!

These 'social justice warriors' have embraced the old Marxist trope of dividing people into tribes, victims, races, creeds or anything that defines them as 'oppressed others', and that the Western civilisation is the one that brings imperialism, degradation, destruction etc. This flies in the face of most of the observed facts but this is not enough to sway an ideological convert who sees only what their manipulators want them to see. 

At homeschool I have been walking my youngest through the history of medicine as he wants to be a doctor. History is always revealing in the ways of human interactions and thought processes as history usually is. This revealing of humanity is one of the main reasons why most new millennium university courses no longer offer history as a subject or if they condescend to do so it is often heavily redacted in favour of atrocities real or concocted and/or manipulated to engender a negative emotional reaction to the; ruling, patriarchal, capitalistic, imperialistic, misogynistic, racist, regime!!!!...

but back on point...

.....in studying the history of medicine we noted many cases of intelligent and learned people believing only what their teachers or the 'textbooks' (Galen/Hippocrates) have taught them. In many cases these original teachers did not intend for their works to become the holy writ that they did become, but it appears humanity, particularly those in power at certain times prefer certainty to experimentation, hence the; '97% of experts agree', phenomena of manipulation towards a particular ideal.  Often this injunction to place your faith in the 'experts' flies in the face of observable evidence but to those who seek a certain outcome that is of little consequence, for example let us examine the case of Galen:

He was a Greek Doctor during the Roman period who became the Emperor's physician. He was gifted, opinionated and a prolific writer authoring more than 125 books on medicine; books that together with Hippocrates formed the canon of medicine for a thousand years:

Galen's affect upon medicine grew, rather than became less, with time. His views came to be regarded as the final authority in medicine. During the Middle Ages in Europe, scholars avoided experimentation and direct experience. Instead they simply looked for answers in Galen's books. His dead hand held medicine in its grip with a firmness never matched before of since. [Tiner, J H (2014) The History of Medicine, Master Books, p.10]

Although Galen warned doctors to study firsthand for themselves, his advice went unheeded. Galen, the successful doctor, stated his views with force and confidence. Doctors who followed him frowned upon independent study. Medical Schools used Galen's books as textbooks for more than a thousand years. He became the undisputed authority. No one dared to even differ with him. [ibid, p.14]

Jacobus Sylvius is the typical surgeon of the middle ages. He relied on Galen and Hippocrates' books more than what he observed with his own eyes. [ibid, p.16]

If the corpse and the book don't agree, then the error is in the corpse! No one would dream of doubting Galen. [ibid, p.16]

But thankfully for us, some did eventually challenge and question the perceived wisdom of the 'experts':

Vesalius kept a copy of Galen's books on hand and marked changes in them. He found over two hundred mistakes in the ancient books -mistakes still being taught by the doctors of his day. [ibid, p.20]

We have become bogged down in the same sort of fanatical adherence to 'expert wisdom' today. History teaches us (if we allow it to) that times change, technology advances, information increases BUT HUMAN NATURE REMAINS THE SAME.