Media outlets call on Thai government to lift restrictions on freedom of expression

[Soidog]

On 7/29/2021 at 9:14 AM, MikeW said:

At least in the US you can say pretty much anything about politicians short of an actual threat 

Yes, it’s the same in most advanced nations. You can only develop an economy and a country to a certain point unless you allow freedom of speech. Control and censorship are like corruption when it comes to innovation and development, it’s poison.
 

Even in China where censorship is high and yet economic progress looks highly impressive, it still ranks 76th on the list of GDP per capita (Thailand is 102 incidentally). If a country wants to grow and become a top performing country it results in a growing educated middle class. The middle class become disillusioned with having to do hard work, pay high taxes and yet have no voice. That’s when it all becomes unravelled for censorship. All such governments ensure you run with a wide poverty gap and keep middle classes to a minimum. 

[gummy]

20 minutes ago, Soidog said:

List? I don’t have a list @gummy, just a single person. Maybe I’m already on your list

Not at all 

[Soidog]

23 hours ago, uanmak said:

You know, it is not our duty as scientists to enforce a theory to others, because once it has been proven and reached consensus, it is self-enforceable by mere evidence and provided data.

A passionate comment @uanmak . However one needs to be careful with the “consensus” argument when it comes to science. Consensus has never been that relevant in scientific progress. Back in 1543 the consensus was the Earth was the centre of the universe, until some rebel an conspiracy theorist called Copernicus came along with an outlandish idea that it wasn’t. 
Or ignas Semmelweis who was mocked by the scientific consensus at the time relating to sanitation and washing hands to reduce infection.  Boltzmann for his theories and equations on the properties of atoms was also against the scientific consensus at the time. Consensus in science is mostly correct, but it’s not a universal truth and progress is made by those who challenge it. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by Soidog