Comments on: Why should anybody care what Palin thinks about creationism? http://curricublog.org/2008/08/30/palin-creationism-so-what/ Tony Whitson's blog on curriculum-related matters Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:32:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: fruit flies, & Creationist Palin’s science ignorance « Tony’s curricublog http://curricublog.org/2008/08/30/palin-creationism-so-what/#comment-21643 fruit flies, & Creationist Palin’s science ignorance « Tony’s curricublog Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:55:56 +0000 http://curricublog.wordpress.com/?p=562#comment-21643 [...] Palin’s science ignorance An earlier post here addressed the question, “Why should anybody care what Palin thinks about creationism?” That post quotes Fordham Institute science education specialist Lawrence Lerner: In the [...] [...] Palin’s science ignorance An earlier post here addressed the question, “Why should anybody care what Palin thinks about creationism?” That post quotes Fordham Institute science education specialist Lawrence Lerner: In the [...]

]]> By: Kevin Currie http://curricublog.org/2008/08/30/palin-creationism-so-what/#comment-21610 Kevin Currie Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:17:08 +0000 http://curricublog.wordpress.com/?p=562#comment-21610 A similar point was made a few years ago in Chris Mooney's "Republican War Against Science" where he sees quite a few of the Bush administration's mishandling of issues relating to science as quite interconnected by their lack of enthusiasm for and understanding of science as an enterprise. On the whole, of course, politicians generally don't understand science too well, as the two spheres are quite different. Politics is governed by democracy and majority opinion. Science is governed in a very non-democratic way. Politics relies on rhetoric to appeal both to voters and to fellow politicians. Science need not rely on rhetoric for anything but increasing public understanding. I really don't trust politicians with issues of science. A similar point was made a few years ago in Chris Mooney’s “Republican War Against Science” where he sees quite a few of the Bush administration’s mishandling of issues relating to science as quite interconnected by their lack of enthusiasm for and understanding of science as an enterprise.

On the whole, of course, politicians generally don’t understand science too well, as the two spheres are quite different. Politics is governed by democracy and majority opinion. Science is governed in a very non-democratic way. Politics relies on rhetoric to appeal both to voters and to fellow politicians. Science need not rely on rhetoric for anything but increasing public understanding.

I really don’t trust politicians with issues of science.

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