Science
I engaged in a wonderful debate over the weekend with some conservative friends and came to a bizarre rhetoric junction: I found myself arguing the merits of science. I found this bizarre because to me, it’s a non-issue. The pursuit of scientific exploration and discovery is one of the great functions of human civilization. To suggest that the benefit of science is debatable on the same level as, say, the benefit of tax cuts is totally backwards and wrong. Unfortunately, I seem to be in the minority.
Science is one of the few places one can find Truth. It is not based on conjecture, opinion, hearsay, myth, or faith. Science is not politics. Science is not journalism. Science is certainly not religion. Science is built exclusively on truths that combine to make Truth.
One of the most important facets of science is the (aptly named) scientific method. The scientific method requires measurable, repeatable, documented observations that together prove or disprove a hypothesis. By following the scientific method, scientists can remove the human element from the end result. Any properly trained and equipped scientist could repeat an experiment to confirm some assertion. Before any scientific study is published, it must endure the scrutiny of peer review to ensure its merit.
I cannot stress this last point enough. Unlike politics, religion, journalism, etc., this ensures that the end result of the scientific method is entirely separated from the scientist. There is no room for spin, interpretation, bias, or opinion. This is why I capitalize Truth. Science is the closest thing to Truth that we will ever know.
A common counter-argument to the merits of science is that scientific Truth changes. That is, what was once considered Truth is now rejected as a flawed theory. To the contrary, the ability for science to correct prior errors makes it all the more powerful. The continuous search for Truth is what makes science so important.
Now the hook: the Bush administration has been very hostile towards science. They have cut funding at the EPA and NASA (among others) to the point where important studies cannot be done. They have stifled reports and attempted to discredit important findings by countering with opposing “studies”. Case in point: global warming. There are over one thousand peer reviewed studies in print that conclude that humans are drastically altering the composition of the earths atmosphere and, therefore, climate. There are zero peer reviewed studies that conclude otherwise.
Yet by finding a handful of scientists to go on national television and refute this conclusion, the Bush administration has convinced the American public that the issue is still up for debate. You might notice an important distinction: there may be plenty of scientists that think global warming is a myth. You will find exactly zero peer reviewed scientific studies that conclude the same. Unfortunately, most people are not familiar enough with science to understand this fundamental difference.
One final point: Does the federal government have any responsibility to fund science? In one sense, no. Nowhere in the Constitution of the United States is scientific funding mandated. Then again, neither is funding a standing army, which we seem unable to live without. If the intent of funding the military is to protect America from harm, then so too should be the intent of funding science. The threats may be different–global warming, toxic pollutants, food shortages–but the goal is the same: to protect America from harm.
It is absolutely critical that we citizens understand the power and value of science and that we demand it be funded by our government. We can’t afford not to.
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (1) : Nov 14th, 2006 by tadfad
December 8th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
[...] Science Science is one of the few places one can find Truth. It is not based on conjecture, opinion, hearsay, myth, or faith. Science is not politics. Science is not journalism. Science is certainly not religion. Science is built exclusively on truths that combine to make Truth. [...]