'Maverick' risk to science debate (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Scientists have been urged to become more involved in public debates about their research or risk it being dominated by minority "maverick" views.

The warning has been made by Royal Society president, Lord Martin Rees.

He will say debates on issues such as climate change and stem cells need to be based on sound scientific research.
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"The main theme of my talk is that science and the world faces ever more complex issues such as climate change, stem cell research and nuclear power.

"How the science is applied and prioritised should not just be decided the scientists; these choices should be made after the widest possible discussion by the public."
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6159371.stm

It's either that, or one real scientist and one think-tank wacko can give a "fair and balanced" debate on Faux ...

[sweetheart]

1. What causes 'maverick' risk?

What President Eisenhower says in this video, explains in eloquent terms how
scientific study and research has been institutionalized in huge federal business,
and that he was worried that by taking discovery and realization away from the
individual, in to federal institutions, it would become a replacement for intellectual curiosity,
ultimately undermining our civil society.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x7772

[Ezlivin]

2. Galileo wouldn't say he was against "minority 'maverick' views"

And that's the problem today: Too much of the church still backs anti-scientific views. Nearly 100% of the fundamentalists in this country don't believe in evolution, plate tectonics or the possibility of human-generated climate change. If you look at the Southern Baptist Convention alone there are 30,000,000 of these type of people.

[phantom power]

3. This is a cop-out. Reporters and Politicians *ignore* scientists.

If a bunch of quacks and corporate schills are getting too much air-time, whose fault it that? The real scientists, or the fuck-nuts who hand the quacks the microphone?