Epistemic Collapse at the WSJ

Access / TLS Issues

• Several commenters can’t reach the Columbia math blog due to a “revoked certificate” error in Firefox/Debian.
• Others report the site loads fine; certificate appears time‑valid, but CRL/OCSP issues mean strict OCSP settings can treat it as revoked.
• Workarounds include using archive.today or the Wayback Machine.

WSJ Article and Woit’s Critique

• The blog post argues a WSJ piece on theoretical physics and podcasts is a case of “epistemic collapse”: culture‑war framing, no understanding of the science, relying on podcast drama.
• Some readers agree, extending the criticism to US public discourse generally.
• Others find the WSJ piece acceptable or see it as simply covering culture war dynamics, and view the blog post as too emotional and light on concrete rebuttal.

State of Mainstream Journalism

• Many see a long‑running decline: cost‑cutting after ad revenue collapse, consolidation under wealthy owners, and growing access‑chasing and infotainment.
• Debate over whether journalism was ever good: some invoke “yellow journalism” as the historical norm; others argue there has been a recent drop in rigor.
• Gell‑Mann amnesia is cited: people notice blatant errors in fields they know, yet keep trusting coverage in areas they don’t.
• Discussion of whether the press has “special rights/privileges” and whether it still fulfills its accountability role.

Coverage of Charlie Kirk Shooting & Online Extremism

• Commenters criticize WSJ (and other outlets) for poor, sensational, and sometimes incorrect reporting on the shooting and on “chronically online” meme cultures.
• Example: an edited WSJ headline tying ammunition engravings to trans/antifascist ideology is seen as irresponsible, with some calling for firings and noting there was no clear retraction.
• Disagreement over the shooter’s ideology illustrates how legacy media struggle with highly online subcultures; some call for “meme culture” expertise in newsrooms.
• Broader complaint: media amplify shooters’ manifestos and iconography, feeding a contagion effect.

Joe Rogan, Podcasts, and Influencers

• Several note it’s a category error to treat Rogan as a scientific authority; his show is more free‑form conversation than vetted journalism.
• Nonetheless, there’s concern that large audiences now treat podcasters and influencers as primary information sources.
• Some see mainstream outlets referencing podcast discourse (or quoting guests like Michio Kaku uncritically) as another symptom of epistemic drift.

Physics, Progress, and Public Narratives

• The WSJ framing that theoretical physics has produced “little of importance in 50 years” is debated.
• One side: high‑energy theory (e.g., string theory) has become speculative and untestable; funding and groupthink are real problems; dark matter research is cited by one commenter as emblematic of bias.
• Other side: post‑1960 physics has yielded major conceptual and technological advances (GPS, MRIs, quantum tech, imaging, condensed‑matter breakthroughs), and quantum gravity is simply an exceptionally hard problem.
• Concern that media flatten nuanced debates (e.g., about funding priorities) into “mavericks vs establishment,” lumping relatively sober critics with conspiratorial cranks.

Postmodernism, Epistemic Fragility, and LLMs

• The Sokal affair and critiques of postmodernism come up: some argue earlier “post‑truth” debates were really about exposing how fragile scientific authority is in society, not rejecting science.
• Others maintain postmodern “science criticism” didn’t materially improve scientific rigor.
• Multiple comments tie today’s confusion to information overload, replication crises, and social media dynamics.
• One commenter predicts LLMs and bot‑driven content will further pollute the open web, pushing serious discourse back toward smaller, curated blogs and communities.