Mrs. ADBWADLN directed me to
this article by Chris Mooney written for
Seed Magazine. The article discusses some of the hurdles faced in communicating science to the public, focusing on the climate change debate, but applicable to a great deal more. In short he discusses the disconnect between scientists and what the general public believes, pointing out some of the misconceptions that make their way into media and political discussions
But I wonder if the scientific community as a whole can truly continue to passively accept the ongoing translational failures that seem to ensue on virtually every occasion that scientific information enters the political and public arena.
Worth the read.
4 comments:
I think the world needs some insane and/or evil scientists to really get the public aware of what science can do. It seems to have worked for the GOP in the last presidential election.
Nice idea, I bet if we had more Dr. Julius No types, the regular scientists would soon be viewed as superheros, perhaps even enlisted into a super secret branch of the government and given awesome aliases. I could even start a side business as an image consultant for aspiring evil scientists, thus increasing my chances of becoming Secret Agent Thermochronic.
Yes, but do you really want to see your tenure committee in capes and tights?
As I just attended another scientific function, I wonder that if we let in some general public, whether they would all huddle in one corner, and the scientists in another...
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