When smart people believe stupid things

By Matt Young
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[Three wise monkeys]
This sculpture, image from Wikimedia, is based on an image from a Japanese temple. It is
often called the Three Wise Monkeys. who neither hear, see or speak evil. Image posted by
Joe Felsenstein, who asks whether the people discussed in this article believe that
they are being wise.

 

A penpal of mine, Scott Goodman, recently asked the following question:

What is the psychology behind contrarian belief systems? Having been involved in this now for some 30 years, I have concluded, as have others, that this phenomenon of latching on to a nonsense belief and defending it to the death against all reason is, at its root, psychologically and emotionally driven. And it certainly isn’t limited to creationism. Across the board, from climate change denial to anti-vaccine hysteria to insisting that elections are rigged, I believe the same thing is at work. Consider the characteristics:

  • Impervious to facts or logic. The facts simply must be wrong.
  • A desire to focus on the best and most robust scientific (or political) explanations.
  • Along with that, attacking the most prominent scientists; Darwin, Einstein, etc.
  • And several other characteristics that one might describe.

I throw this out to the group because it might point to finding more effective ways of combatting all of this nonsense. Clearly, facts are water off a duck’s back to creationists and other science deniers. They have a mental force field to keep facts and logic out. To me the question becomes, “What is the emotional payoff for this behaviour?” It appears to be overwhelming and compelling for those who adopt this way of thinking.

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Not exactly a salmon

By Matt Young
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Photograph of reddish growth along the edge of Boulder Creek, taken with a cell phone,
August, 2026. Seek, by iNaturalist, identified it as Oncorhynchus nerka – sockeye salmon.
Clearly it is not that. Is it some kind of algae? See below the fold ....

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Marmota flaviventer

By Matt Young
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Photography Contest.

C Joseph Long, Honorable Mention.

Yellow-bellied marmot scurrying downhill.
Marmota flaviventer – yellow-bellied marmot. Mr. Long writes, "On Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, at about the 3570 m (11,700 ft) level, June 2026."

Williamstown secret deal may get a free fire station for the Ark

By Dan Phelps
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PVA property plot of the possible future Williamstown fire station. Note that it is surrounded by Ark property and only accessible via the Ark’s service road.

Will the Ark Park get a free fire station from the City of Williamstown? Is the Ark going to announce a Tower of Babel ride soon (and get more tax incentives)?

Back on January 8, 2026, the acting Mayor of Williamstown, Kentucky, Dave Henson, had a special meeting/luncheon with Ken Ham and several Answers in Genesis/Ark Encounter officers on the Ark Encounter property. I submitted a Kentucky Open Records Act (KORA) request to Williamstown and received a handful of documents including photographs of the Mayor with Ken Ham and the meeting agenda. The meeting agenda briefly mentions a discussion of a “Fire Department substation” on Eibeck Lane (the employees’ and delivery entrance to the Ark) but nothing specific. Since this wasn’t considered a City Council meeting, nothing appeared to be official.

In early August, I noticed a record in the Grant County News where Ark Development, LLC (an Answers in Genesis shell company) had sold the City of Williamstown an ~1.9 acre property on Eibeck Road for $1. This piqued my curiosity, and I sent a KORA request to the City on August 3, 2026. On August 7, 2026, before the City responded to my open records request, I visited Williamstown in person to look up the exact location and take a photo of the site.

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