Posted by So why is there a ‘Science & Truth’ section on our political blog?
The short answer is that there’s a great misunderstanding and distrust of science – and of the methodology of science — in the USA by both voters and politicians alike. Science, put simply, doesn’t care about politics. It’s only concerned with evidence which is continuously supported from repeated experiments by independent parties. In this way, these conclusions made by science — that have withstood rigorous independent scrutiny — are considered to be reliable and pave the way for further understanding. This is very important when we consider, as an example, that our climate is changing due to human activity, and that these changes are predicted to spell eventual peril for our world. The conclusions of science can guide us to our most appropriate courses of action. Ignoring these conclusions will only keep us on the same path toward peril. Science is not part of a ‘liberal conspiracy’ and scientists are not conspirators.
When I had the idea to start this blog, one of my goals was to fill a void I noticed in all the terabytes of information which vie for our attention on a daily basis… a simple explanation of what science was, how it worked, why we should pay attention to its conclusions and most importantly of all, how a proper understanding of it would affect the choices voters would make at the polls. This would in turn make a positive difference in how our elected lawmakers and presidents would then write policies which would affect our world.
This will be a challenging goal to meet because I’m neither a scientist nor an engineer, and I’ll never be able to point to a degree on my wall or cite an educational background as ‘proof’ that I know what I’m talking about. But in this case, I feel my lack of credentials may actually be the one good credential I have, which is simply that I’m an ordinary person writing for ordinary people. I’m 100% confident about the conclusions of science and through this blog, I’ll try to convince others why they should share the confidence I feel.
I’m going to let this serve as my very first science article, and in addition to having it appear in our Science & Truth Section, I’ve also put it in our Featured Section for awhile just to gain a bit of prominence so more people can read it. This article is simple and introductory, written only to explain why I want a science section in our political blog. I’d like to explain something else to all of you before I go on, something from my personal life. (Although our blog is not about our personal lives, just this once I’d like to reveal something about my personal life for the sake of better understanding.)
I wear a pink braided necklace these days, in support of my wife who is HER-2 positive with breast cancer. It’s been an emotional struggle for both of us (especially for her, obviously) and will become more intense very soon. In only 5 days she’ll receive her first treatment in a chemotherapy regimen lasting 12 months, followed at the end of that period by series of daily radiation treatments for an additional 2 months. On top of this, my elderly mother is in a heartbreaking struggle with advanced dementia and requires almost daily visits and very close attention from me, the very last person in her life who can care for her with the love and tenderness she deserves. Most days I’m too exhausted, frazzled or distraught to attempt writing for our blog. Jeff – my friend and partner BrookingsLib — knows he must be the one engine on our ship which still can take us forward for awhile… and I know our blog is in great hands. My science articles are very important – all my articles are — but new ones will come along only slowly now… very slowly. I think it’s sufficient to say that I must prioritize these people in my life over our blog.
Science is way too important a subject to omit in the anti-science mindset which dominates the thinking in our country. There had been some discussion between Jeff and myself about taking the science section out, and after making some great suggestions I’d not thought of, he left it up to me. I’ve decided to keep the Science & Truth section in as a menu item even though their pages will be blank for quite some time. (We’ll keep our ‘Under Construction’ photo up for as long we need to, and we’ll wear it as a badge of pride.) If there’s one thing Jeff and I have learned in the short time we’ve been Bloggers, it’s that the entire project is a huge work in progress. Eventually all the pieces will fit together nicely. Jeff and I are in it for the long haul.
On The Fence Voters 