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+--- Thread: The future of science after Trump? (/showthread.php?tid=563)
The future of science after Trump? - PennyB - 11-09-2016
Yesterday the United States elected a man who is beyond ignorant.
Is there any future for science now in this country? I am beyond horrified.
RE: The future of science after Trump? - Island Chris - 11-13-2016
I'm not exactly a happy camper either. Half my work is related to past climates.
Chris
RE: The future of science after Trump? - Skywise - 11-14-2016
I'm a bit of a Simon and Garfunkel fan, and there is a line from the song The Boxer that often resonates in my ears during discussions of ignorance,
"All lies and jest. Still, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."
As I get older I am sadly becoming numb to the level of ignorance in the world. And it's not just science. Ignorance seems to be pervasive in all facets of life.
I think it has always been this way. It's just that as we gain life experience we become more aware of it.
I don't think it will ever change.
Brian
RE: The future of science after Trump? - Island Chris - 11-14-2016
Hmm, Brian's post seems wise and interesting enough I may have to forward it to a few people.
Chris
RE: The future of science after Trump? - marc / berkeley - 11-16-2016
I was going to kid and type "we should pray for them", but I think I would have destroyed any credibility here. It has been an amazing ride to see how science is treated in today’s scientist. People want answers but aren’t happy once they receive them and are unwilling to support research to produce significant results to bring about better answers. Scientists are forced to go for the low hanging fruit to show progress, which takes away from more serious research to find long term answers.
They need more scientists.
They want more scientists.
But we seem to have a society of lobbyists and religious extremists trying to undermine this effort. Knowledge is power, and keeping a segment of society ignorant seems to be the best way to create an undercurrent to challenge the quest for scientific information. If it weren’t for really dedicated people, we would not see any progress at all. Of course economics also is key, if a discovery has the potential to make money, it is more desirable or if the discovery has potential weapons applications.
How do we change the public perception of science to make it apolitical?
If we can remove science from politics and keep it out of religion ( a tall order ), maybe something positive could happen.