Nobel Savage Fallacy (not to be confused with the Noble Savage Myth) is an error in reasoning by which incidental commonalities between modern scientific theory/technology and ancient cultural expressions are claimed to support a conclusion that the ancients must have had access to modern knowledge.
The fallacy is usually committed by those with an at best shallow understanding of either modern science, ancient cultures, or - frequently - both.
It is commonly committed by those seeking to bolster the foundations of their modern cultural hegemony by arguing that the purported central tenets of its ancient precursors were rationally developed, and any deviations from those traditional norms are movement away from the ostensibly scientific ideal.
It is also frequently deployed by charlatans attempting to sell products or services derived from ancient techniques, who wish to gain a veneer of scientific plausibility for their offerings - that they in no way deserve.
The fallacy is usually committed by those with an at best shallow understanding of either modern science, ancient cultures, or - frequently - both.
It is commonly committed by those seeking to bolster the foundations of their modern cultural hegemony by arguing that the purported central tenets of its ancient precursors were rationally developed, and any deviations from those traditional norms are movement away from the ostensibly scientific ideal.
It is also frequently deployed by charlatans attempting to sell products or services derived from ancient techniques, who wish to gain a veneer of scientific plausibility for their offerings - that they in no way deserve.
"No, dude, those symbols do not mean they had spaceships, even if they look a little bit like that rocket Bezos made - mistaking what is obviously a poorly-drawn penis for a spacecraft is just the Nobel Savage Fallacy!"
"Babe, Gwenyth can say whatever she likes - but stuffing that crystal up your coochie is not gonna cure anything, even if the Biddelonians have been doing it for centuries... yes, I've heard of phototherapy, but that crystal isn't gonna refract any light up there, it's just another Nobel Savage Fallacy!"
"Babe, Gwenyth can say whatever she likes - but stuffing that crystal up your coochie is not gonna cure anything, even if the Biddelonians have been doing it for centuries... yes, I've heard of phototherapy, but that crystal isn't gonna refract any light up there, it's just another Nobel Savage Fallacy!"
by Umlimo April 19, 2022