Sunday, March 09, 2014

 

Deny This!

Why do supposedly intelligent and educated people deny science?

Without science, we would still be living in caves.  Science is, after all, a process, not a thing. I have a friend who is an automotive engineer who said he doesn't trust scientists. Duh! Is that degree of his a B.A. or a B.S.? Guess what, pal, you ARE a scientist.

If you want more about what the beauty and knowledge that comes through scientific inquiry is, then watch Cosmos, which is about to run on Fox and other networks. For that matter, watch the original Cosmos with Carl Sagan. 

For those who deny science today, just think back. Once upon a time, the most learned men (the ones who ran the show) said that the Earth was the center of the universe, the world was flat and if a woman opened her mouth, she was a witch. Those men jailed Copernicus for discovering that the Earth was not the center of the universe and they denied him for centuries more.

Science is a process, a way of seeking truth, through observation, experimentation, and recording findings for peers to evaluate.  In a recent radio interview, Neil deGrasse Tyson, the new host of Cosmos, recalled something a teacher said to him about science. In essence, he said not to worry about the answers, but learn to love the questions. He is right. It's the quality of the questions that drive continued inquiry. If we don't know the answer today, that doesn't mean that we won't know it someday (remember the flat earth thing).

Is global climate change destroying the planet? Love the question.

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