Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
John Adams
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.
Albert Einstein
We should heed John Adam’s words, especially in the Age of Trump when fabrications abound.
Our very democracy rests upon facts and knowledge, so we must sound the alarm when a president and a political party eschew truth and make war on science.
The importance of science cannot be overstated. It leads to economic growth, the exploration of space, advances in biology and medicine, our understanding of genetics, and the revolution in technology.
Our founding fathers were science enthusiasts. Thomas Jefferson was both a lawyer and a scientist. He was familiar with the writings of Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon. Our great scientific tradition continues with the late Stephen Jay Gould , the famed Harvard paleontologist who contributed significantly to the debate over evolution and viewed science this way:
“[It] is an integral part of our culture. It’s not this foreign thing , done by an arcane priesthood. It’s one of the glories of the human intellectual tradition.”
In 2005, Chris Mooney wrote a book called “The Republican War on Science.” It focused on the many ways the George W. Bush administration set out to undermine science. Some examples are denying global warming, espousing “creationism” over evolution, and trying to prevent stem cell research. Why would a political party demean science?
One answer is that scientific facts may cost businesses money.
One only needs to recall the opposition of cigarette manufacturers to governmental reports on health dangers caused by smoking. Or more recently, corporate opposition to information about acid rain.
Studies which show that global warming is a result of human activity are frowned upon by the fossil fuel companies.
The food giants do not want to hear that excessive sugar, salt and fat pose a threat to health. Once again, there is an inevitable conflict between our capitalist system and the well being of our citizenry.
A second group which stands in opposition to science is fundamentalist Christians.
They have maintained that abortions can cause breast cancer, and that “abstinence-only” should be taught in sex-education courses, and conservative Christians oppose stem cell research.
What price do we pay for our ignorance in these matters?
Research conducted by the National Center for Science Education point out the following disheartening facts.
One in eight high school biology teachers wrongly – and unconstitutionally – present creationism as scientifically credible.
60% of high school biology teachers qualify or hedge their presentation of evolution – or omit the topic altogether.
One in four middle and high school teachers give equal time to the idea that humans are not responsible for climate change, and 50 percent of middle and high school teachers wrongly tell their students that scientists are divided about climate change.
If you are not alarmed by these statistics , consider this.
Twenty-five per-cent of Americans were unaware that the earth orbits the sun. And on a study of scientific literacy, the United States scored behind twenty-one other nations.
It is clear that we are in serious trouble when we reject science in favor of what pleases politicians, plutocrats, and religious minorities. We may obtain solace when we recall the words of Neil deGrasse Tyson: “The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.”
To which I would comment that Dante should have added a circle in hell for all science deniers.
Dr. Hal Sobel
Great Neck
