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Is there a Science Community Conspiracy

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Is there a Science Community Conspiracy

Postby really? » 28 Oct 2011, 21:45

This video from the John Stewart show plus this article by Lawrence Krause are appropriate for this forum. No wonder such unsubstantiated ideas continue to flourish
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-o ... s=share_fb

Faithand Footishness
Religious leaders should be held accountable when their irrational ideas turn harmful.

Every two years the National Science Foundation
produces a report, Science and Engineering Indicators,
designed to probe the public's understanding
of science concepts. And every two years we
relearn the sad fact that U.S. adults are less willing to
accept evolution and the big bang as factual

than adults in other industrial countries.
Except for this time. Was there suddenly a quantum leap in

U.S.science literacy? Sadly, no. Rather the National Science
Board, which oversees the foundation,chose to leave the section
that discussed these issues out of the 2010 edition, claiming the
quecstions were"flawed indicators of scientific knowledge because
responses conflated knowledge and beliefs." In short, if their religious beliefs require
respondents to discard scientific facts, the
board doesn't think it appropriate to expose that truth.
The section does exist, however, and Science magazine obtained it.
\When presented with the statement "human beings, as
we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals,"
just 45 percent of respondents indicated" true." Compare this
figure with the affirmative percentages in
Japan(78),Europe(70),China (69)and South Korea(
64).Only 33percentof Americans agreed that
"the universe began with a big explosion."

Consider the results of a 2009 Pew
Survey: 31 percent of U.S. adults believe
"humans and other living
things have existed in their present
form since the beginning of time."
(So much for dogs, horses or H1N1
flu.) The survey's most enlightening
aspect was its categorization of responses by
levels of religious activity, which
suggests that the most devout are on average least willing to accept
the evidence of reality. White evangelical Protestants have
the highest denial rate (55percent),closely followed by the group
across all religions who attend services on average at least once a
week (49percent).

I don't know which is more dangerous, that religious beliefs
force some people to choose between knowledge and myth or that
pointing out how religion can purvey ignorance is taboo. To do
so risks being branded as intolerant of religion. The kindly Dalai
Lama, in a recent New York Times editorial, juxtaposed the statement
that "radical atheists issue blanket condemnations of those
who hold religious beliefs" with his censure of the extremist in
tolerance, murderous actions and religious hatred in the Middle
East. Aside from the distinction between questioning beliefs and
beheading or bombing people,the "radical atheists" in question
rarely condemn individuals but rather actions and ideas that deserve to be challenged.

Surprisingly,the strongest reticence to speak out often comes
from those who should be most worried about silence.Last May
I attended a conference on science and public policv at which a
representative of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Sciences
gave a keynote address.When I questioned how he reconciled his
own reasonable views about science with the sometimes absurd
and unjust activities of the Church-from false claims abour condoms
and AIDS in Africa to pedophilia among the clergy was
denounced by one speaker after another for my intolerance.
Religious leaders need to be held accountable for their ideas.In
my state of Arizona,Sister Margaret McBride, a senior administrator
at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, recently authorized a legal
abortion to save the life of a 27-year-old mother of four who
was eleven weeks pregnant and suffering from severe complications
of pulmonary hypertension; she made that decision after consultation with the mother's family, her doctors and the local ethics committee. Yet 1W the bishop of Phoenix, Thomas Olmsted, immediately excommunicated Sister Mary, saying, "The mother's life cannot be preferred over the child's." Ordinarily, a man who would callously let a woman die and orphan her children would be called a monster;this should not change just because he is a cleric.

In the race for Alabama governor, an
advertisement bankrolled by the state teachers' union attacked
candidate Bradley Byrne because he supposedly supported teaching
evolution. Byrne, worried about his political future, felt it necessary
to deny the charge.

Keeping religion immune from criticism is both unwarranted
and dangerous. Unless we are willing to expose religious irrationality
whenever it arises, we will encourage irrational public policy
and promote ignorance over education for our children.

Lawrence M. Krauss, a physicist and science commentator, is
Foundation Professor and director of the Origins Initiative at
Arizona State University (tuwtu. krauss.faculty.asu.edu).

Issue 36 Scientific American August 2010

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Re: Is there a Science Community Conspiracy

Postby Craig Browning » 28 Oct 2011, 22:47

First of all, Really, don't fall down when I say this :twisted:

I AGREE!

I have a saying, "There's a difference between Ignorance and Stupidity; Ignorance can be corrected while those that suffer from stupidity simply refuse to learn."

This is a dual-edged dagger-statement however in that it applies to ALL groups that buy more into the dogmatic view of their own cult and have an unwillingness to learn and grow by seeing ALL sides to any given issue.

I do have problems with the science thing however, given how the "right" have their own researchers and experts that can "prove" their desired outcome be it in regards to Climate Change to Stem-Cell R&D (this is likewise true when it comes to payola scenarios from either side of any given topic.) In other words, it's quite difficult to find truly neutral, unbiased "FACT" though, on certain topics what's presented and supported by the majority of mainstream science really should carry more weight and supersede religious ideologies and mythos i.e. evolution leading the pack (especially since the Vatican has even encouraged a re-evaluation on this point by two different Popes at this point).

The American fanaticism when it comes to religion is unique when it comes to Christianity and worse, much of it is founded in the ideas shared in one of the least accurate translations of the biblical scriptures going (King James) and to put salt into that wound is the fact that they take things literal, as written rather than understanding the essence of what's said. . . that is, unless the esoteric insights sustain their purpose; Astrology & Numerology might be instruments of the devil but not when it comes to proving Jesus was special according to the cosmic alignments let alone the many numerological and even mythological symbolism found throughout the canons. The fickleness and cherry picking of this element is what makes it conducive to stupidity or more accurately "Confusion" -- people end up afraid to accept any form of logical thinking, toss in peer pressure and a lack of true cultural mix and we find the crux behind those finding noted above, in your post.

It's a very sad reality that's confounding. Ignoring the Religion v. Science issue and looking at this problem Theologically and historically (anthropologically) I find it quite frustrating in that there are truths staring these people straight in the face based on what they claim to believe that they are totally ignoring, side-stepping, and even discrediting. :|
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Re: Is there a Science Community Conspiracy

Postby craig weiler » 30 Oct 2011, 08:28

I pretty much agree.
A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are for.
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