My favorite example is that some dude predicted that cities will swim in horse shit in the future. Than cars were invented and horses in cities are a rarity. All the people you talk about got it right because you never talk about those who got it wrong #selectionbias
Everybody thinks they're Galileo
Submitted 5 months ago by yesman@lemmy.world to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/ffc27e60-8d6b-4346-860a-c99ea66acca1.jpeg
Comments
lugal@sopuli.xyz 5 months ago
Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
“Survivor bias” also applies here.
kbal@fedia.io 5 months ago
It's a good thing our new mechanical horses have no waste products at all, otherwise that dude might've had a point.
mindbleach@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Every conversation with Bitcoin cranks: “People doubted the internet!!!” A few weirdos did, but most were on-board for obvious reasons. Meanwhile most tech predictions were pessimistic and correct because most tech advancements do not become a whole new god-damn economy unto themselves.
m_f@midwest.social 5 months ago
I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Tbf, we should still be laughing at Columbus. He didn’t prove the Earth was round, we knew that already. He died believing he had “discovered” India. That and he was a racist, baby killing, monster.
lugal@sopuli.xyz 5 months ago
He wanted to prove that earth is small enough to sail around it and he that he discovered a path to “India” to his death
TurboHarbinger@feddit.cl 5 months ago
To his defense, what you describe was pretty much the rule back then before the 1700, for “nobles” I mean.
anton@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 months ago
Columbus was wrong. He thought the diameter of the earth was much smaller that the common estimate at the time which turned out close to the actual value.