The March for Science

[catherine]

This Tolstoy quote aptly popped up on my FB just now.

freethinkers.jpg

[LDAHL]

This Tolstoy quote aptly popped up on my FB just now.

Is freethinking a herd activity? Looking at some of the footage, I saw a lot of brain-hatted virtue signalling, some clever signs and a lot of politics-as-usual trying to wrap itself in a white coat.

I think it's important to invest in small-c science for the same reason it's important to invest in a strong defense establishment. I can understand the dissatisfaction with our illiterate reality-show president's difficult relationship with the truth. I understand that there are tendentious arguments being made over subjects from climate change and evolution to genetically determined levels of intelligence to nuclear power; with various camps pushing different agendas.

But I don't think it's necessary to elevate a technocratic class to some kind of sacred status, any more than I think we need to worship engineers or farmers or bankers for their essential roles.

[jp1]

But what is the alternative. How do you propose that we stand up for the technocrats and prevent the people in power from succeeding in their attempts to delegitime them? I don't view what's being done to support science as elevating anyone to sacred status as much as just an effort to say "these technocrats are the people we should be listening to, not some jokester who sold his soul to Big Oil or Big Chemical."

[Rogar]

I think it's important to invest in small-c science for the same reason it's important to invest in a strong defense establishment. I can understand the dissatisfaction with our illiterate reality-show president's difficult relationship with the truth. I understand that there are tendentious arguments being made over subjects from climate change and evolution to genetically determined levels of intelligence to nuclear power; with various camps pushing different agendas.

But I don't think it's necessary to elevate a technocratic class to some kind of sacred status, any more than I think we need to worship engineers or farmers or bankers for their essential roles.

I'm not sure I understand who is being elevated to technocrats? Aren't there military scientists who develop strategies and weapons. Earth scientists who discover new ways to extract petroleum and atmospheric scientists who work with the Navy to predict weather patterns. Somehow the same principals of chemistry, physics, Biology, and innovation are cast as some sort of voodoo elitists when it relates to climate change or health and human services.

[iris lilies]

I have to ask, what was it about the marshmallow manufacturing process that bothered them?

Marshmallows are an animal product. Hoof, I think.

[bae]

Marshmallows are an animal product. Hoof, I think.

They do have gelatin in them.

[catherine]

Here's Alton Brown's recipe. I'll take a homemade marshmallow over a Little Debbie snack cake any day.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/a...mallows-recipe

[LDAHL]

But what is the alternative. How do you propose that we stand up for the technocrats and prevent the people in power from succeeding in their attempts to delegitime them? I don't view what's being done to support science as elevating anyone to sacred status as much as just an effort to say "these technocrats are the people we should be listening to, not some jokester who sold his soul to Big Oil or Big Chemical."

I don't think we should "stand up for the technocrats". Ultimately, facts win on their own without political assistance. We don't listen to them because Big Government or Big Academia are somehow more credible than Big Oil or Big Chemical or Big Cupcake. If they were, we'd have seen food riots in 1975 or "peak oil" in 1995.

[LDAHL]

I'm not sure I understand who is being elevated to technocrats? Aren't there military scientists who develop strategies and weapons. Earth scientists who discover new ways to extract petroleum and atmospheric scientists who work with the Navy to predict weather patterns. Somehow the same principals of chemistry, physics, Biology, and innovation are cast as some sort of voodoo elitists when it relates to climate change or health and human services.

And those principles stand on their own without the need of political backing. Gravity does not require slogans. What I saw in those demonstrations was people supporting "our truth", not "the truth". Whether it's Bible Belters pushing creationism, or students at pricey colleges beating up social scientists or insisting that objective truth is a tool of white supremacy, the people who think facts can be shouted down will ultimately lose. Injecting politics into it is futilie.

[jp1]

Marshmallows are an animal product. Hoof, I think.

Wait until she gets old enough and learns that beer has an animal product in it too.