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How To Communicate Science to a Polarized US Audience
Prescott writes "Given the divisions in the US around subjects like evolution and climate change, scientists face challenges in how to communicate good science to a polarized US public. Speakers at the recent AAAS meeting talked about how scientific information is delivered to and understood by a public that interprets it via personal beliefs, religious and otherwise. 'The talks were organized by Matthew Nisbet, a professor of communications who is a proponent of the framing of science, in which communications techniques borrowed from the political realm are applied to promote scientific understanding. As such, a number of speakers advocated specific frames for publicly controversial scientific issues. Unfortunately, the use of those frames appears likely to generate controversy within the scientific community, and several speakers noted that science faces challenges that go well beyond communicating knowledge to the public. There were some hints of a way forward that might work for both the scientific community and the public, but the challenges appear significant.'"
Evolution... man created
Climate Change... God created
For a long time, Science took the opposite position on these two issues. Funny how more recently these same scientists have have done a complete 180 and realized that in fact climate change is *not* a factor of man's interaction and are now inline with the first of the two (above) understandings.
One down... one to go
Dawkins is not smart. That's why he's a decisive figure. There are plenty of people with actual training in the philosophy of religion, renowned figures like Mackie and (pre-conversion) Flew who wrote defenses of atheism that even their theist colleagues respect and engage. Dawkins, however, wanders into a field different from that in which he was training and starts ranting. Gore and Dawkins are demagogues, and you could find more reliable people to cite.
Seriously, you'll never convince some people simply because they're arrogant enough to believe that their world view (often tainted by religion) is inviolable. I actually knew of a geologist who was a Young Earth type: the Bible was literal truth, fossils exist only to test our faith, etc. etc. How he managed to get through academia with that foolishness rattling around in his head amazed me.
And this guy was working where I was at the time: Los Alamos National Laboratory, a place not known for hiring idiots (intentionally anyway).
The funny thing is these folks will complain that you're trying to change "their reality", as if reality was subjective, let alone theirs.
So I just tell people like this my honest opinions anymore: This topic simply cannot be understood by someone with your level of intellect.
Insulting? Well, tough shit. My reality is the objective one, and both it and I simply don't care.
--- The American Way of Life is not a birthright. Hell, it's not even sustainable.
Most science isn't controversial. But for some reason the right wingers like to ignore all of it -- not just evolution and cloning. I think they somehow think science is out to get them. I suppose if you make polluting
cars it is in a way.
If you purposefully aim your science at religious fundamentalists you are only giving credence to their silly myths. Fine if you share these views, but scientifically dishonest if you do not.
What's "evolutionary medicine"? Is it anything like embryonic stem cell research, which kills little "tissue blobs" by the thousands, but hasn't produced a single treatment in use today?
The government can't save you.
It's sad that losers like you get shut the fuck up in public, so have to resort to modding me down for no reason in private.
"Yes, there are reasonable religious people"
If you mean that there are friendly religious people who will listen you are probably right. There are a few. If you mean that religious people are capable of reason then I think that you are basically wrong. By the very nature of their chosen (in most cases chosen by others such as parents) belief system they are incapable of reason.