As I admitted, one size [description] does not fit all.

Come to think of it, I know lots of artistic types that know some technology, but I have difficulty coming up with any hard core scientist I have met that is skilled in a creative art. A bunch of them I know like music.

Maybe they are like Heinlein’s Lazarus Long character and think that art is something you do privately behind closed doors, never tell anyone, and wash your hands when you finish.

One size of course does not fit all, however as a generalization I have observed;

People with a background in science tend not to accept any explanation of a phenomena other than a “Scientific Theory” even if to justify some of those beliefs the theory has to include particles or energies that no one has yet been able to detect or measure. “We know they are there, we just haven’t been able to detect them with our current technology!”

People without training in science are much more prone to say “God did it” or “It’s Magic.”

I watched a program last night about Evil Places. Some researchers went into areas that the native population had legends of as being cursed places from which people should stay away. Turns out several of them contained pitchblende, which is a uranium ore and one had cinnabar which is a mercury ore.

If you camped on the pitchblende your hair and teeth fell out. If you camped on cinnabar you went insane. Scientific explanation would be radiation poisoning and heavy metal poisoning. The natives said you were cursed by evil spirits.

This is simply two viewpoints of dealing with the same phenomena. They are both valid. I am perfectly happy agreeing with some native that radiation and heavy metals are Bad JuJu and you should stay away from them.

Where is your evidence for this?

People with advanced schooling in scientific/mathematic disciplines tend to have faith in scientific principles. People with liberal arts majors or those who have not had any university training are much more open to having faith in supernatural explanations for the way the universe operates.

Over the years I have met some highly educated people who believed what I considered to be really goofy shit. I try not to antagonize them about it, because some of them are fanatical about their beliefs and might want to fight over them.

P.S. A retrovirus (HIV) causes the disease AIDS just so’s you know
P.P.S Once again, honoured to be your source of amusement

I am a physicist and there are lots of current hypothises and theories that you take on faith. Even mathematical proofs are sometimes later shown to be invalid.

I believe a virus causes HIV, but I couldn’t prove it. I just have faith in the medical researchers that publish papers that have declared it a virus based disease.

If some bruja [witch] tells a vaquero [cowboy] his ailment is caused by una espíritu [a spirit] I couldn’t disprove that either, but I would still think it was a virus.

However, I do feel that the evidence for AIDS being caused by the transmission of HIV is much stronger than the evidence that it is caused by witches. I think it is very important that people know about these things so that they can protect themselves from infection. I was very surprised by the article, I’ve never come across those kind of superstitious beliefs before and the only time I’ve spent in the US was with trees.

I’ll be sure to mind my flippant comments in future, I’ve often been told that I have a crap sense of humor. Glad to have caused you amusement though Old man.