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(I don't think anyone would ever accuse you of ridiculing anyone, your comments are always very measured!)
This has been a fascinating thread. If there was ever a case for science education reform, this is it. It's old hat, we've discussed it a million times, but there is a general lack of understanding about the nature and process of science (constantly changing, additive nature, imperfect, self-correcting…) My training was in anthropology, so I got a ringside seat at the cultural perception dinner table - people want certainty, they don't like anything messy, they want absolutes, they want simple answers. That's a cross-cultural universal.
Additionally, I think part of the problem is that scientists have not always done a good job of talking about their work and it's "what does it mean to me" (or anything else!) impact. Very unfortunate. It is also fair to say that scientists are human beings and we are not above human foibles (cold fusion in a jar??? Edison and Jumbo??? Faked data on global warming???) Let's not put ourselves on a pedestal, some of these behaviors have led to the problem we face.
(Don't get me started on high stakes tests that exacerbate the challenges by eviscerating critical interdisciplinary thinking…)
Wasn't there an exhibit called "Truth" going around?
Sorry, that's my pre-turkey, nothing-you-haven't-heard-before rant,
Beryl
On Nov 21, 2012, at 11:49 AM, Martin Weiss wrote:
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I did not mean to ridicule Rubio, or the other politicians who do not
understand science, but to use it as an example of a very pervasive problem
that unfortunately has ramifications for government policy and therefore
society. Yes, Beryl it is appalling how even members of congressional
science committees know so little and show absolutely no shame in their
lack of knowledge or their war on women.
Certainly truth and science are not equivalent and understanding
uncertainly is important. However, there are levels of uncertainty in
science. Any report published in Science does not gain certainly until it
shown to be irrefutable. Theories and Laws because of accumulated knowledge
have the greatest certainty. Imagine the ever lasting fame for the
scientist who proves the Theory of Gravity wrong. There is hypocrisy and
politics involved in questioning evolution and saying that "it's only a
theory". This stance also illustrates the ignorance of science and further
illustrates the idea that facts or common understanding—which make social
discourse function—do not matter.
Martin
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Martin Weiss, PhD
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New York Hall of Science
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cell 347-460-1858
desk 718 595 9156
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