By Erich Vieth on May 28th, 2007
Haldane’s four stages of acceptance
Whether the topic is Iraq, religion, discrimination, or even the scientific theory of evolution, you can likely find a use for John B. S. Haldane’s description of the four stages of acceptance of ideas:
i) this is worthless nonsense;
ii) this is an interesting, but perverse, point of view;
iii) this is true, but quite unimportant;
iv) I always said so.
From John B.S. Haldane, Journal of Genetics, #58, 1963, p.464.
I have always said so, until now, because while it might be true, it is no longer important, and is to me, just a perversely interesting idea, which under closer scrutiny, is of course, worthless nonsense.