*pinches bridge of nose* Are we really still doing this?
I just... how can... aaaaauuugggghhh
okay, a thread.
I just... how can... aaaaauuugggghhh
okay, a thread.
As this person points out, this kind of nonsense is a regular occurrence.
I honestly cannot remember how many times I've come across an article that says this same basic thing about any number of bits of indigenous or ancient knowledge.
[Ancient people] did [thing] and for years scientists (read: Western scientists) dismissed it until they did tests!
[Ancient people] did [thing] and for years scientists (read: Western scientists) dismissed it until they did tests!
Some I remember off the top of my head, like the one about how ancient Egyptians used seeds to purify water and this has been known and attested for literal millennia and yet it was dismissed as nonsense until Western science thought to test it.
popsci.com/need-clean-wat…
popsci.com/need-clean-wat…
I've seen similar stuff around ancient Egyptian medical texts, which are again usually dismissed as nonsense b/c they contain ~magical spells~ alongside stuff like "put donkey dung on it" BUT GUESS WHAT, that donkey dung thing *actually works*. (I'm not gonna get into the spells)
And this is just the stuff that crosses my attention b/c of my research. I bet we could get another real interesting thread going if I asked folks to share all the similar stories they've come across.
Point is, Western science ignores ancient and indigenous wisdom all the time.
Point is, Western science ignores ancient and indigenous wisdom all the time.
Ignores and ridicules. Until it becomes convenient or profitable to put it to the test or until people who come from these cultures and don't treat the wisdom as ridiculous get into positions within Western science to "legitimize" these understandings.
It is one of my greatest peeves because Westerners didn't invent the fucking scientific method, okay? Europeans after the Middle Ages didn't bring something new to the table by thinking "Maybe we should test this under specific circumstances and over time."
The ancient Egyptians built the effing pyramids, y'all. Do you think they didn't know what they were doing when it came to wounds and infection and disease and drinking clean water?? I just.... the disdain for ancient peoples and indigenous knowledge is disgusting.
And honestly? It's harmful to us, today. If Western science and medicine wasn't so busy dicking around and reinventing the wheel at every turn we might be more advanced than we are now. But then that's not our only problem, cuz Western science and medicine is profit-driven.
So yeah, BIG SURPRISE, clothing the Inuit wear is best for the cold. Good thing you spent all that time & money figuring that out! We'll need it for the freezing hellscape brought on by climate change that indigenous folk have been warning us about & trying to prevent since 5ever
