I was just reading about how Barack Obama has named his science and technology team over at CNN.com.  He says some very basic things, like “It’s time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America’s place as the world leader in science and technology.”  He also makes a semi-vague statement about not letting politics get in the way of facts.  There are so many topics I can get into with articles like this.  I could reference Bush and all the terrible things he’s done for scientific research in this country.  I could espouse on the many ways our country could be the leader in new technologies.  I could say a lot of things.

But the one part of the article that really caught my eye was the comments section down below.  It’s incredible how many of these commentors would rather refer to science as “science” and use this space as a forum to say how Obama is “all talk”.  A few quotes:

“Once again, Obama linking government to all that is good and anything that is possible. The guy doesn’t get it.”

“Obama wants to cut funding for NASA. How is he for sciences again?? OBAMA IS ALL TALK PEOPLE!!!!!!”

“Because listening to scientists is imminently more appropriate, though their findings changes with facts over time, or the need for more funding for “research” grants.”

“I love how everyone wants to focus on science, and that stem-cell research will safe [sic] the world. You people are fools.”

“Maybe at one time science did seek the truth. Now they try to force secularism on people, regardless of mounds of evidence. They preach evolution as fact even though there is no evidence whatsoever for it (they have even tried to forge fossils to hopefully convince the less affluent that their postulations are true). For example, students in school are taught that dinosaurs died out 50 million years ago. They are taught this as fact, even though there is evidence of people seeing dinosaurs. Science has become a religion…teaching people that it is okay to ignore the truth…called the Bible.”

Ok I’ll stop there.  Uh, evidence of people seeing dinosaurs?  Really?  There’s also evidence of people seeing Big Foot.  Good job American public.  Way to represent.  Schools teach evolution as a theory because it currently has the most evidence and best explanation of the world around us. I don’t think any person of intelligence thinks that any science is the final word of the world around us, but it would be a good thing to listen to the amazing research that’s going on in the world.  For example, global warming.  Here’s my stance.  I don’t care who or what causes or caused global warming.  I don’t even care if it exists or not (although I’m inclined to think it does).  What I do know is that humans do not take care of the environment and are poisoning the world around us.  Will it destroy the Earth?  No, I think the Earth will be fine.  But it will destroy or maim the natural resources we use to survive.  Preventing pollution and waste is a good idea, whether you want to invoke global warming, environmentalism, common sense or just the golden rule.  Don’t we want the world to be a better place?  Or is our purpose on this planet to use up as much as we can before we die?

I don’t understand why people have such a bias against science as a word or as a body of knowledge.  Why do people take research as a personal insult?  My personal belief is that it’s representative of how undereducated most of the American citizens are.  Sometimes it’s scary to tell the truth, especially if it goes against everything you believe.

Go read this blog post for another take on scientific understanding in America.