"Our job is not to make up anybody’s mind, but to open minds, and to make the agony of decision-making so intense you can escape only by thinking."
- Fred W. Friendly (1915-1998)

"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth will make you mad."
- Aldous Huxley

"If you have ever injected truth into politics, then you have no politics."
- Will Rogers

Monday, May 14, 2012

Science!

There was an exhibit at DisneyWorld in Florida when I went there with my family several years ago -- I remember the echoing refrain (I think it was the AT&T pavilion)  "...the answer is Science....".   I have always believed that -- there is some seriously cool and amazing stuff going on in all branches of science, despite the unforgivable political hacks like the Senator from the midwest who stood up a few years ago and waved a list of 400 "experts" in front of a Senate committee who supposedly debunked entirely the whole idea of "climate change" or "global warming" as the headline writers like to call it.  Only problem was, this list was composed largely of people with "doctorates" in English and Business and a fair sprinkling of TV weather "personalities" -- hardly a sterling example of a qualified, scholarly group suitable to comment on the complex subject.  The former unfortunately made good cable news headlines, the latter (and much more truthful) story not so much.

I think science and scientists need to explain themselves and their methods better when confronted with such utter knuckle-dragging nonsense.   The 'scientific method' (if anyone still bothers to study it) is among the most noble and useful creations of humans.  It involves tossing out ideas (hypotheses and experimental results) to a peer forum for honest review and appropriate intelligent debate which usually results in a much better, more complete and trustworthy conclusion at the end of the process than any other human-designed process you could name....certainly more so than say....oh, a Congressional "debate" of any kind....or the output of any Congressional committee you would care to name...

Just some food for thought:  Less water than we think?
                                              Who needs a wonder drug?
                                              Is it there, or is it not?

Isn't that a lot more memorable than say, all the seasons of "Housewives of Timbuktu" or the latest screeching rant by a cable news "consultant" rolled together???

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