We’re constantly told to follow the science, that this or that political decision or mandate is not in fact political but is mandated by science.
At best this is the naive proposition of people who are unaware of their own frame, unaware of what motivates their actions.
At worst it is a new form of moralising, which wants to pretend that it’s moral stances are as self-evident and as provable as two plus two equals four.
[Jonathan Pageau]
‘The Blindness of "Following the Science”’
A position is a simple predictive statement which influences all of the individual's transactions; in the long run it determines his destiny and often that of his descendants as well. A position may be more or less absolute.
Positions are taken and become fixed surprisingly early, from the second or even the first year to the seventh year of life - in any case long before the individual is competent or experienced enough to make such a serious commitment.
It is not difficult to deduce from an individual's position the kind of childhood he must have had.
Unless something or somebody intervenes, he spends the rest of his life stabilizing his position and dealing with situations that threaten it: by avoiding them, warding off certain elements or manipulating them provocatively so that they are transformed from threats into justifications.
[Eric Berne]
Games People Play, p.42
