Read The War on Science : Who Is Waging It, Why It Matters, What We Can Do about It TXT
9781571313539 English 1571313532 "Whenever the people are well informed," Thomas Jefferson famously wrote, "they can be trusted with their own government." But what happens when they are not? The United States provide a good illustration: Politicians pass resolutions denying global warming's existence, that astrology can control the weather, and, in some states, even forbid using the words "Climate Change." In every aspect of our society from transport to technology, health care to national defense we are in the midst of an unprecedented expansion of scientific progress that has led to a simultaneous explosion of real world catastrophe. And yet many western democracies actively ignore how science might help us to survive our own ingenuity. Shawn Lawrence Otto s provocative book investigates the historical, social, and emotional reasons for why this is the case, and offers a vision and an argument to bring us to our collective senses, before it s too late.", "Wherever the people are well informed," Thomas Jefferson wrote, "they can be trusted with their own government." But what happens when they are not? In every issue of modern society--from climate change to vaccinations, transportation to technology, health care to defense--we are in the midst of an unprecedented expansion of scientific progress and a simultaneous expansion of danger. At the very time we need them most, scientists and the idea of objective knowledge are being bombarded by avast, well-funded, three-part war on science: the identity politics war on science, the ideological war on science, and the industrial war on science. The result is an unprecedented erosion of thought in Western democracies as voters, policymakers, and justices actively ignore the evidence from science, leaving major policy decisions to be based more on the demands of the most strident voices. Shawn Otto's compelling new book investigates the historical, social, philosophical, political, and emotional reasons why evidence-based politics are in decline and authoritarian politics are once again on the rise on both left and right, and provides some compelling solutions to bring us to our collective senses, before it's too late., The politicization of science is nothing new, of course. Ever since Galileo s clash with the Roman Catholic Church, advances in scientific knowledge have had a strained relationship with powerful interests. Today, we are in the midst of an unprecedented expansion of scientific progress. Science governs every aspect of our lives, from transport to technology, health care to national defense. These radical opportunities are accompanied by serious challenges, introduced and compounded by science and technology. Counter-intuitively, many western democracies actively disregard the ways in which science can readdress these imbalances. Crucial strategies for alleviating global warming, arguably the planet s greatest threat, are resisted by powerful interests fearing for their bottom line. Faith-based objections to the teaching of evolution and human biology erupt from members of the public. Nor are scientists entirely blameless. Too frequently they fail to engage in the kind of public dialogue that would benefit from their reasonable perspective. Shawn Lawrence Otto s provocative book reopens this necessary public conversation on science and the common good. Whenever the people are well-informed, Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1789, they can be trusted with their own government. With the intention of enhancing public dialogue by investigating the priorities of scienceand the governments that ignore its implications to their peril"America s Science Problem" is an impassioned appeal to reason, before it s too late."
9781571313539 English 1571313532 "Whenever the people are well informed," Thomas Jefferson famously wrote, "they can be trusted with their own government." But what happens when they are not? The United States provide a good illustration: Politicians pass resolutions denying global warming's existence, that astrology can control the weather, and, in some states, even forbid using the words "Climate Change." In every aspect of our society from transport to technology, health care to national defense we are in the midst of an unprecedented expansion of scientific progress that has led to a simultaneous explosion of real world catastrophe. And yet many western democracies actively ignore how science might help us to survive our own ingenuity. Shawn Lawrence Otto s provocative book investigates the historical, social, and emotional reasons for why this is the case, and offers a vision and an argument to bring us to our collective senses, before it s too late.", "Wherever the people are well informed," Thomas Jefferson wrote, "they can be trusted with their own government." But what happens when they are not? In every issue of modern society--from climate change to vaccinations, transportation to technology, health care to defense--we are in the midst of an unprecedented expansion of scientific progress and a simultaneous expansion of danger. At the very time we need them most, scientists and the idea of objective knowledge are being bombarded by avast, well-funded, three-part war on science: the identity politics war on science, the ideological war on science, and the industrial war on science. The result is an unprecedented erosion of thought in Western democracies as voters, policymakers, and justices actively ignore the evidence from science, leaving major policy decisions to be based more on the demands of the most strident voices. Shawn Otto's compelling new book investigates the historical, social, philosophical, political, and emotional reasons why evidence-based politics are in decline and authoritarian politics are once again on the rise on both left and right, and provides some compelling solutions to bring us to our collective senses, before it's too late., The politicization of science is nothing new, of course. Ever since Galileo s clash with the Roman Catholic Church, advances in scientific knowledge have had a strained relationship with powerful interests. Today, we are in the midst of an unprecedented expansion of scientific progress. Science governs every aspect of our lives, from transport to technology, health care to national defense. These radical opportunities are accompanied by serious challenges, introduced and compounded by science and technology. Counter-intuitively, many western democracies actively disregard the ways in which science can readdress these imbalances. Crucial strategies for alleviating global warming, arguably the planet s greatest threat, are resisted by powerful interests fearing for their bottom line. Faith-based objections to the teaching of evolution and human biology erupt from members of the public. Nor are scientists entirely blameless. Too frequently they fail to engage in the kind of public dialogue that would benefit from their reasonable perspective. Shawn Lawrence Otto s provocative book reopens this necessary public conversation on science and the common good. Whenever the people are well-informed, Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1789, they can be trusted with their own government. With the intention of enhancing public dialogue by investigating the priorities of scienceand the governments that ignore its implications to their peril"America s Science Problem" is an impassioned appeal to reason, before it s too late."