[Leps-l] [EXT]Re: NYTimes article on the NABA butterfly park

Mon Feb 7 16:56:50 EST 2022

Critical thinking:  Great call!  Science is an active discourse among persons with different points of views.  For example, Joeseph Lister was mocked and considered a complete quack by the medical community for suggesting that surgical instruments be sterilized after each operation.  His views, against "The Science" of his time, would have been banned by youtube in our current environment.

Consider the following (without names) who recently engaged in critical thinking, and got banned for their views:

1) a MD/PhD who holds 9 of the original patents on mRNA vaccines, and who has routinely chaired DOD/NIH vaccine development study sections (for those in the know, chairing a study section is a BIG deal, only allotted to those viewed at the top of their field)

2) A practicing doctor with over 100,000 google scholar citations in medicine, who was the editor two of the major medical journals in their subfield

3 ). Three internationally well-known epidemiologists from Standard, Oxford, and Harvard

Their views, of course, could be wrong (as could "The science"), but they have the academic chops to at least have their views critically examined, not discounted (indeed, censored) out of hand without debate.  The truth always lies somewhere in the middle, and we ignore it at our peril.

The best news is that the moth season will be starting soon here in southern Arizona.

Bruce Walsh
Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Professor, Public Health
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Professor, Plant Sciences
Adjunct Professor, Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Adjunct Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology
Member, Graduate Committees on Applied Math, Insect Sciences, Genetics, Statistics
University of Arizona

Evolution and Selection of Quantitative Traits (Oxford 2018)
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/evolution-and-selection-of-quantitative-traits-9780198830870
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0198830874

Genetics and Analysis of Quantitative Traits (Sinauer <Oxford>  1998)
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/genetics-and-analysis-of-quantitative-traits-9780878934812
https://www.amazon.com/Genetics-Analysis-Quantitative-Traits-Michael/dp/0878934812

Google Scholar
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7iQEFwIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

________________________________
From: Leps-l <leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Neil Jones <neil at aurinia.co.uk>
Sent: Monday, February 7, 2022 2:37 PM
To: leps-l at mailman.yale.edu <leps-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [EXT]Re: [Leps-l] NYTimes article on the NABA butterfly park

External Email

Quite right Eric! You merely asked for  critical thinking.

This can sort this matter out quite quickly just by applying critical thinking

This QAnon stuff that it is based on has no basis in fact at all.  They are alleging that NABA. the North American BUTTERFLY Association are using their center as a base for child sex trafficking. This is not just nonsense, it is CRAZY.

On 07/02/2022 20:24, Metzler, Eric H. wrote:
I suggest I made no comments on politics. When I reread what I wrote the word the word politics is nowhere to be found.

I suggested these events are simply signs of the times. My politics (unstated in my comments) are neither to the left nor to the right. I prefer no extremism, rather I hope for critical thinking. I encourage us to engage in such thinking and to pass it on.

Thank you for the opportunity to further explain my point of view.

Eric
Eric H. Metzler

________________________________
From: Roger Kuhlman <rkuhlman at hotmail.com><mailto:rkuhlman at hotmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 6, 2022 11:34 PM
To: Metzler, Eric H. <MetzlerEH at si.edu><mailto:MetzlerEH at si.edu>; Leps List <leps-l at mailman.yale.edu><mailto:leps-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Leps-l] NYTimes article on the NABA butterfly park

External Email - Exercise Caution

I think all this talking about Not Following the Science and Science is the intellectual enemy only amounts to Extremist Leftist Political Propagandizing for Leftist Political Power. I find it very offensive and wish to not see it in intelligent discussions of butterflies, their natural habitats, and ways of life. Do you think we can cool this line of politics?

Sincerely,
Roger Kuhlman
Ann Arbor, Michigan
________________________________
From: Leps-l <leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu><mailto:leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Metzler, Eric H. <MetzlerEH at si.edu><mailto:MetzlerEH at si.edu>
Sent: Sunday, February 6, 2022 7:37 PM
To: Mike Quinn <entomike at gmail.com><mailto:entomike at gmail.com>; Leps-L <leps-l at mailman.yale.edu><mailto:leps-l at mailman.yale.edu>; TXBL <TX-BUTTERFLY at listserv.uh.edu><mailto:TX-BUTTERFLY at listserv.uh.edu>; TXENTO <TX-ENTO at listserv.uh.edu><mailto:TX-ENTO at listserv.uh.edu>
Subject: Re: [Leps-l] NYTimes article on the NABA butterfly park

I attribute this situation to a weird association of butterflies and science where science is the intellectual enemy.

I suggest our educational system is failing us by not ensuring students learn critical thinking.  The conspiracy theorists were always there yet remained below the surface until emboldened by the thinking of the administration between 2016 and 2020. In my department back in the 1980s one of my colleagues and close friends would return from meetings with the folks who used our research and accumulated knowledge to teach. He would return to his office and always say "Fictitious but true." There are facts and there is the truth. Each person must decide based upon their education and indoctrination, at home, at school, socially, and church if they attend one. In our small city of 35,000 people, 2/3 are right-wing well-meaning people, and less than 50% are vaccinated. There is one very low wattage church chat show. I regularly listen because I want to know what the 2/3 right leaning people are hearing. The stuff that is broadcast is scary. One so-called news-on-the-hour broadcast said people should not get vaccinated for COVID because every vaccinated person dies. No doubt a true statement and reveals no critical thinking.

I work hard to teach my students to research and think. I touch so few students compared to the thousands of people who join the masses of conspiracy theorists. My former neighbor, a very nice man, from across the street insisted planes from China were flying overhead daily to spread the COVID virus. Then in the next sentence he said COVID doesn't exist. Critical thinking? I think not. I recently attended his funeral after COVID caused his death.

>From sunny southern New Mexico.

Eric
Eric H. Metzler
________________________________
From: Leps-l <leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu><mailto:leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Mike Quinn <entomike at gmail.com><mailto:entomike at gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 6, 2022 4:47 PM
To: Leps-L <leps-l at mailman.yale.edu><mailto:leps-l at mailman.yale.edu>; TXBL <TX-BUTTERFLY at listserv.uh.edu><mailto:TX-BUTTERFLY at listserv.uh.edu>; TXENTO <TX-ENTO at listserv.uh.edu><mailto:TX-ENTO at listserv.uh.edu>
Subject: [Leps-l] NYTimes article on the NABA butterfly park

External Email - Exercise Caution

How the National Butterfly Center Became the Center of Online Lies - The New York Times https://nyti.ms/3otxXeB<https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnyti.ms%2F3otxXeB&data=04%7C01%7CMetzlerEH%40si.edu%7Cc499c39896a24de8c34d08d9ea03d9d0%7C989b5e2a14e44efe93b78cdd5fc5d11c%7C0%7C0%7C637798125239785857%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=tSOy5KoxplQFjSJFORRvAETUtjMQCrcoIhewkTERZAU%3D&reserved=0>

Mike Quinn, Austin
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