The first thought when you read this article in the Washington Post is that science education in the US is falling behind. Then you read it.
the expert panel of scientists, and audience members, agreed that the United States is losing stature because of a perceived high-level disdain for science. They cited U.S. officials and others questioning scientific evidence of climate change, the reluctance to federally fund stem cell research, and some U.S. officials casting doubt on evolution as examples that have damaged America’s international standing.
This is all politics. Climate change is leftist-speak for global warming. The politicization of the science of climate is a leftist assault on scientific inquiry. Skeptics find their grant applications denied and their careers threatened. That is a problem created by the political left. Stem cell research is an ethical issue and President Bush is the first US President to agree to fund stem cell research. The fact that he imposed limits on FUNDING, not research, is what has these politicians upset. Thirdly, a small minority of “US Officials” make anything of the doubts about evolution. That is a religious issue and should not be in science classes. The religion of environmentalism is at least as intrusive in schools as schoolchildren are taught economic foolishness about such matters as recycling.
The whole article is about politics, not science.
Here is more about Freeman Dyson whose essay about global warming, I linked to the other day. The man is a giant and his thoughts are worth considering, especially as they agree with mine.
Tags: global warming, politics, science, stem cell research