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The reason for denial probably is much simpler than we think; people all over the world are loath to admit they were horribly wrong, that they were taken for a ride, and to their embarrassment for such a long time.

The perpetrators of course had the necessary incentives that they refuse to reveal.

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I hope and pray that you are right, Dr. Natarajan. If you are, then there is hope for the next time. "Fool me once, shame on you..."

But I'm afraid that most people still truly believe that masks work, that the fake vaccines work, that lockdowns work, that footprint stickers on the floors of stores work, that half the population of Sweden died, and on and on. They don't read the things that we read. They are still hypnotized.

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I wonder to what extent this is caused by lack of clarity regarding concepts on one hand and fallacies of intuition on the other. We understand the concept of vaccine in a certain way and fail to realise it when a vaccine isn't really one. The belief in masks is strongly influenced by a fallacy of intuition; intuitively a mask should work, therefore we believe it does. Same with lockdowns and footprint stickers. In fact I published a short piece on this a good while ago: https://thorsteinn.substack.com/p/two-fallacies-of-intuition

For Sweden it is simply due to misinformation.

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Thank you for the link. Somehow, too many people have lost the childlike reflex to ask тАЬWhy?тАЭ And in the case of lockdowns there is a germ of truth (pun intended). If I never got within a mile of another person, I doubt I would get covid. But of course that degree of separation society-wide would be impossible. Come to think of it, the masking intuition is the same way. If I put a plastic bag over my head and had somebody secure it with tape around my neck, I probably wouldnтАЩt catch a respiratory virus. ButтАж

When I started flying, my intuition was to push on the right rudder pedal to turn left. It felt right, because it seemed that I would be pushing the nose of the plane around from right to left, as with a steering wheel. But thatтАЩs not how rudder pedals work. To turn right, you push on the right pedal. I never obtained a pilotтАЩs license, but now fly with a simulator. My flights would be chaotic and short if I trusted my intuition.

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Your writing is insightful; please do carry on; I was so moved by your piece this morning that I was compelled to highlight it on Twitter; I have never done this before.

The world is falling apart, it really is. I am no doomsayer, but we have been badly let down by chaps who have the platforms to perform and explain the realities to the public.

Who would have imagined so many would be so dishonest despite having so much fame, applause and lucre. The motivation to lie and mislead has been money pure and simple. They may appear articulate, even pretty, but are dumb as hell.

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Thanks a lot for sharing. I totally agree with you that the world is falling apart, and to what extent money has to do with it. The only way out of this is for the general public to wake up.

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I agree, most people ( my country India included) are not only lazy but are of minuscule intelligence.

They refuse to realise what can and shall hit them in the near future. They are oblivious and blind to what is going around them.

If they do not pay heed to your warnings they sadly shall suffer, actually we all will.

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We are all able to think rationally. But 99% of us never do. Why? Because it is hard. My job is training executives in rational thinking. Not in winning arguments, but in rigorously analyzing the logical foundations needed for valid conclusions. Our students are some of the most highly educated and intelligent people in the world. Still, they find it hard. But, with training and practice, they can do it.

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Oddly enough, Dr Deepak, I don't think conventional intelligence has anything to do with it: this is not about classic social polite careerist reasoning skills, (such as conform, say little, and do the right thing) - rather this is about deeper human instincts of self-preservation and survival. These skills are totally different from the social conformist intelligence required to thrive in modern urban cultures like India and Europe. 'Don't rock the boat, suck up to the boss' you know!

They are wilder more primeval 'boy scout' skills: like Mowgli: being able to sense animal dangers in the jungle (whether the real Indian jungle with tigers, or even the urban jungle with bad actors and scammers). Some people have good senses for survival, others do not.

I'd call this 'animal intelligence - or intuition'.

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