Modern Science Writers Leave Science Behind

Pacific Standard ^ | December 28, 2012 | Alex B. Berezow

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Would that result in more upstanding citizens?

[rottndog]

It is certainly true that some conservatives embrace anti-scientific beliefs, most notably on evolution and climate change.

Dr. Alex B. Berezow is the editor of RealClearScience and co-author of Science Left Behind. He holds a Ph.D. in microbiology.


Dr. Berezow needs to brush up on his 'Climate Science' before casting aspersions on the many quite learned scientists who dispute AGW/Globull Warming/Man Made Climate Change.

[Milton Miteybad]

If you support fluoridation, what other pharmaceuticals would you support the government adding to your water supply?

How about a little chlorine? Chlorination of water supplies has prevented hundreds of millions of cases of various types of water-borne diseases that killed millions in the past.

Yes...I'll take some chlorine in my water. If you choose to give the matter just a bit of thought, you'll probably make the same choice also.

[terycarl]

have the ability to purchase salt without iodine. I do not have that option with my municipal water supply. Nice try.

such nonsense, iodine doesn't hurt your washing machine, your shower, washing your car, watering your lawn...if you are so concerned with iodine in your drinking water.....buy a gallon or so of spring, or distilled water to drink....many people do and it isn't the fear of iodine that persuaded them to do so.

and by the way, the original discussion had to do with the government adding something to the food chain.....they added flouride and they added iodine, you like iodine, I like both.

[terycarl]

Flouride is not used in most of Europe and parts of Canada. Those areas have no more problem with cavities than the U.S.

I have no way of knowing the exact figures, but I am almost certain that dental caries were reduced by more than 60% when flouride was introduced into our water

[terycarl]

Flouride is not used in most of Europe and parts of Canada. Those areas have no more problem with cavities than the U.S.

I have no way of knowing the exact figures, but I am almost certain that dental caries were reduced by more than 60% when flouride was introduced into our water

[Lurker]

If you like fluoride in your water then by all means by your own and fluoridate to your hearts content. But please leave me out of it. Is that too much to ask? Why can’t people like you just leave people like me the hell alone?

What’s wrong with you? Wy do you feel the need to stick your stupid nose into every facet of people’s lives? If you want your water fluoridated and your salt iodized, fine. Let the market place cater to your desires. But for the love of God don’t force other people into your personal lifestyle choices because you think it’s “good” for us.

It’s busy bodies like you that have brought this country to where it is today.

[terycarl]

It’s busy bodies like you that have brought this country to where it is today.

Bah, humbug....I didn't put anything in your food, the government did and in most cases I didn't vote for them. By the way, you also get folic acid in your bread and cereal, and vitamin D in your milk....all of which are good for you!!!

[varmintman]

It is certainly true that some conservatives embrace anti-scientific beliefs, most notably on evolution and climate change.

Evolution and "climate change(TM)" are both ideological doctrines masquerading as science theories and people defending them are basically charlatans.

[exDemMom]

It is certainly true that some conservatives embrace anti-scientific beliefs, most notably on evolution and climate change. But some progressives also adhere to a set of dangerous anti-scientific beliefs.

When you go far enough in either direction, the anti-science beliefs tend to converge. On the right, anti-science takes the form of believing that God said a word and everything sprang into existence, with plants and animals popping fully formed out of dirt or water. On the left, anti-science takes the form of believing that aliens came to an existing earth and made all living things. On some issues, beliefs on the left and right are indistinguishable (for example, the anti-vaccination movement).

There is clearly a desperate need to bring up the level of scientific literacy in this country. Teaching people how to think critically and logically would help a lot, too.

[bmwcyle]

Facts, they don’t need no stinking facts.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Chlorine is added to kill harmful microbes in the water. It’s there to treat the water, not the drinker of the water. See the difference? It’s important.

Yes chlorination of water has been beneficial (although it’s not the only alternative for water purification) — but, it comes at a cost. Compounds of chlorine in treated water are proven carcinogens. I filter the stuff out of my drinking water. If you do some research on the topic, and give it some thought, you’ll probably make the same choice too.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks neverdem. Alex B. Berezow:

Herbert fawned over Mooney’s book, the primary thrust of which is that psychology, neuroscience, and genetics explain why Republicans are “smart idiots” and reality deniers. Herbert found Mooney’s book “convincing,” despite the fact that few (if any) scientists would agree... As described in the New York Times, such critics resent the “bastardization [of neuroscience] by glib, sometimes ill-informed, popularizers.” ...In partial fulfillment of this mission, we chose to address an enormous myth that circulates in our media culture; namely, the idea that conservatives are uniquely anti-science and progressives are uniquely pro-science. Nothing could be further from reality... the destructive anti-vaccine movement has a long association with the progressive left. To deny that is simply to ignore history... in 2005, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. infamously wrote an article for Rolling Stone and Salon (since retracted) that erroneously linked vaccines to autism... In 2008... Obama repeated the myth, and as president in 2009, his administration’s pandering to the anti-vaccine crowd was partially to blame for the H1N1 influenza vaccine shortage.. Bill Maher regularly spouts anti-vaccine and anti-Western medicine paranoia... Scientists see water fluoridation, which particularly benefits the poor, as a major public health triumph. But not progressive activists in Portland, Oregon, who fought to prevent the fluoridation of their city’s water supply... Greenpeace and the Union of Concerned Scientists [et al] also oppose genetic modification, despite its tremendous life-saving potential in areas such as preventing vitamin A deficiency, a disease that blinds 250,000 to 500,000 children every year and kills half of them. The California Democratic Party, in direct opposition to the American Medical Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, endorsed that state’s Proposition 37, a referendum that would have unscientifically required the labeling of genetically modified food. Despite the fact that thousands of deaths in the U.S. are attributable to the pollution produced by burning fossil fuels each year, progressives oppose energy policies that could reduce our dependency on coal and oil. Progressives historically have been anti-nuclear power, and today, they are opposed to natural gas, a much cleaner fossil fuel. Instead, they embrace wind and solar, neither of which are currently capable of meeting the world’s growing energy demand... progressives routinely come down on the wrong side of those and other issues.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks neverdem. Extra to APoD members. Alex B. Berezow:

Herbert fawned over Mooney’s book, the primary thrust of which is that psychology, neuroscience, and genetics explain why Republicans are “smart idiots” and reality deniers. Herbert found Mooney’s book “convincing,” despite the fact that few (if any) scientists would agree... As described in the New York Times, such critics resent the “bastardization [of neuroscience] by glib, sometimes ill-informed, popularizers.” ...In partial fulfillment of this mission, we chose to address an enormous myth that circulates in our media culture; namely, the idea that conservatives are uniquely anti-science and progressives are uniquely pro-science. Nothing could be further from reality... the destructive anti-vaccine movement has a long association with the progressive left. To deny that is simply to ignore history... in 2005, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. infamously wrote an article for Rolling Stone and Salon (since retracted) that erroneously linked vaccines to autism... In 2008... Obama repeated the myth, and as president in 2009, his administration’s pandering to the anti-vaccine crowd was partially to blame for the H1N1 influenza vaccine shortage.. Bill Maher regularly spouts anti-vaccine and anti-Western medicine paranoia... Scientists see water fluoridation, which particularly benefits the poor, as a major public health triumph. But not progressive activists in Portland, Oregon, who fought to prevent the fluoridation of their city’s water supply... Greenpeace and the Union of Concerned Scientists [et al] also oppose genetic modification, despite its tremendous life-saving potential in areas such as preventing vitamin A deficiency, a disease that blinds 250,000 to 500,000 children every year and kills half of them. The California Democratic Party, in direct opposition to the American Medical Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, endorsed that state’s Proposition 37, a referendum that would have unscientifically required the labeling of genetically modified food. Despite the fact that thousands of deaths in the U.S. are attributable to the pollution produced by burning fossil fuels each year, progressives oppose energy policies that could reduce our dependency on coal and oil. Progressives historically have been anti-nuclear power, and today, they are opposed to natural gas, a much cleaner fossil fuel. Instead, they embrace wind and solar, neither of which are currently capable of meeting the world’s growing energy demand... progressives routinely come down on the wrong side of those and other issues.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks neverdem. Alex B. Berezow:

Herbert fawned over Mooney’s book, the primary thrust of which is that psychology, neuroscience, and genetics explain why Republicans are “smart idiots” and reality deniers. Herbert found Mooney’s book “convincing,” despite the fact that few (if any) scientists would agree... As described in the New York Times, such critics resent the “bastardization [of neuroscience] by glib, sometimes ill-informed, popularizers.” ...In partial fulfillment of this mission, we chose to address an enormous myth that circulates in our media culture; namely, the idea that conservatives are uniquely anti-science and progressives are uniquely pro-science. Nothing could be further from reality... the destructive anti-vaccine movement has a long association with the progressive left. To deny that is simply to ignore history... in 2005, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. infamously wrote an article for Rolling Stone and Salon (since retracted) that erroneously linked vaccines to autism... In 2008... Obama repeated the myth, and as president in 2009, his administration’s pandering to the anti-vaccine crowd was partially to blame for the H1N1 influenza vaccine shortage.. Bill Maher regularly spouts anti-vaccine and anti-Western medicine paranoia... Scientists see water fluoridation, which particularly benefits the poor, as a major public health triumph. But not progressive activists in Portland, Oregon, who fought to prevent the fluoridation of their city’s water supply... Greenpeace and the Union of Concerned Scientists [et al] also oppose genetic modification, despite its tremendous life-saving potential in areas such as preventing vitamin A deficiency, a disease that blinds 250,000 to 500,000 children every year and kills half of them. The California Democratic Party, in direct opposition to the American Medical Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, endorsed that state’s Proposition 37, a referendum that would have unscientifically required the labeling of genetically modified food. Despite the fact that thousands of deaths in the U.S. are attributable to the pollution produced by burning fossil fuels each year, progressives oppose energy policies that could reduce our dependency on coal and oil. Progressives historically have been anti-nuclear power, and today, they are opposed to natural gas, a much cleaner fossil fuel. Instead, they embrace wind and solar, neither of which are currently capable of meeting the world’s growing energy demand... progressives routinely come down on the wrong side of those and other issues.

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[SunkenCiv]

Thanks neverdem. Alex B. Berezow:

Herbert fawned over Mooney’s book, the primary thrust of which is that psychology, neuroscience, and genetics explain why Republicans are “smart idiots” and reality deniers. Herbert found Mooney’s book “convincing,” despite the fact that few (if any) scientists would agree... As described in the New York Times, such critics resent the “bastardization [of neuroscience] by glib, sometimes ill-informed, popularizers.” ...In partial fulfillment of this mission, we chose to address an enormous myth that circulates in our media culture; namely, the idea that conservatives are uniquely anti-science and progressives are uniquely pro-science. Nothing could be further from reality... the destructive anti-vaccine movement has a long association with the progressive left. To deny that is simply to ignore history... in 2005, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. infamously wrote an article for Rolling Stone and Salon (since retracted) that erroneously linked vaccines to autism... In 2008... Obama repeated the myth, and as president in 2009, his administration’s pandering to the anti-vaccine crowd was partially to blame for the H1N1 influenza vaccine shortage.. Bill Maher regularly spouts anti-vaccine and anti-Western medicine paranoia... Scientists see water fluoridation, which particularly benefits the poor, as a major public health triumph. But not progressive activists in Portland, Oregon, who fought to prevent the fluoridation of their city’s water supply... Greenpeace and the Union of Concerned Scientists [et al] also oppose genetic modification, despite its tremendous life-saving potential in areas such as preventing vitamin A deficiency, a disease that blinds 250,000 to 500,000 children every year and kills half of them. The California Democratic Party, in direct opposition to the American Medical Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, endorsed that state’s Proposition 37, a referendum that would have unscientifically required the labeling of genetically modified food. Despite the fact that thousands of deaths in the U.S. are attributable to the pollution produced by burning fossil fuels each year, progressives oppose energy policies that could reduce our dependency on coal and oil. Progressives historically have been anti-nuclear power, and today, they are opposed to natural gas, a much cleaner fossil fuel. Instead, they embrace wind and solar, neither of which are currently capable of meeting the world’s growing energy demand... progressives routinely come down on the wrong side of those and other issues.

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[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks neverdem. Alex B. Berezow: Herbert fawned over Mooney’s book, the primary thrust of which is that psychology, neuroscience, and genetics explain why Republicans are “smart idiots” and reality deniers. Herbert found Mooney’s book “convincing,” despite the fact that few (if any) scientists would agree... As described in the New York Times, such critics resent the “bastardization [of neuroscience] by glib, sometimes ill-informed, popularizers.” ...In partial fulfillment of this mission, we chose to address an enormous myth that circulates in our media culture; namely, the idea that conservatives are uniquely anti-science and progressives are uniquely pro-science. Nothing could be further from reality... the destructive anti-vaccine movement has a long association with the progressive left. To deny that is simply to ignore history... in 2005, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. infamously wrote an article for Rolling Stone and Salon (since retracted) that erroneously linked vaccines to autism... In 2008... Obama repeated the myth, and as president in 2009, his administration’s pandering to the anti-vaccine crowd was partially to blame for the H1N1 influenza vaccine shortage.. Bill Maher regularly spouts anti-vaccine and anti-Western medicine paranoia... Scientists see water fluoridation, which particularly benefits the poor, as a major public health triumph. But not progressive activists in Portland, Oregon, who fought to prevent the fluoridation of their city’s water supply... Greenpeace and the Union of Concerned Scientists [et al] also oppose genetic modification, despite its tremendous life-saving potential in areas such as preventing vitamin A deficiency, a disease that blinds 250,000 to 500,000 children every year and kills half of them. The California Democratic Party, in direct opposition to the American Medical Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, endorsed that state’s Proposition 37, a referendum that would have unscientifically required the labeling of genetically modified food. Despite the fact that thousands of deaths in the U.S. are attributable to the pollution produced by burning fossil fuels each year, progressives oppose energy policies that could reduce our dependency on coal and oil. Progressives historically have been anti-nuclear power, and today, they are opposed to natural gas, a much cleaner fossil fuel. Instead, they embrace wind and solar, neither of which are currently capable of meeting the world’s growing energy demand... progressives routinely come down on the wrong side of those and other issues. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks neverdem. Alex B. Berezow:

Herbert fawned over Mooney’s book, the primary thrust of which is that psychology, neuroscience, and genetics explain why Republicans are “smart idiots” and reality deniers. Herbert found Mooney’s book “convincing,” despite the fact that few (if any) scientists would agree... As described in the New York Times, such critics resent the “bastardization [of neuroscience] by glib, sometimes ill-informed, popularizers.” ...In partial fulfillment of this mission, we chose to address an enormous myth that circulates in our media culture; namely, the idea that conservatives are uniquely anti-science and progressives are uniquely pro-science. Nothing could be further from reality... the destructive anti-vaccine movement has a long association with the progressive left. To deny that is simply to ignore history... in 2005, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. infamously wrote an article for Rolling Stone and Salon (since retracted) that erroneously linked vaccines to autism... In 2008... Obama repeated the myth, and as president in 2009, his administration’s pandering to the anti-vaccine crowd was partially to blame for the H1N1 influenza vaccine shortage.. Bill Maher regularly spouts anti-vaccine and anti-Western medicine paranoia... Scientists see water fluoridation, which particularly benefits the poor, as a major public health triumph. But not progressive activists in Portland, Oregon, who fought to prevent the fluoridation of their city’s water supply... Greenpeace and the Union of Concerned Scientists [et al] also oppose genetic modification, despite its tremendous life-saving potential in areas such as preventing vitamin A deficiency, a disease that blinds 250,000 to 500,000 children every year and kills half of them. The California Democratic Party, in direct opposition to the American Medical Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, endorsed that state’s Proposition 37, a referendum that would have unscientifically required the labeling of genetically modified food. Despite the fact that thousands of deaths in the U.S. are attributable to the pollution produced by burning fossil fuels each year, progressives oppose energy policies that could reduce our dependency on coal and oil. Progressives historically have been anti-nuclear power, and today, they are opposed to natural gas, a much cleaner fossil fuel. Instead, they embrace wind and solar, neither of which are currently capable of meeting the world’s growing energy demand... progressives routinely come down on the wrong side of those and other issues.

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[Bernard Marx]

Flouride is toxic to humans.

Then it's really a good thing that we add fluoride to our drinking water, not flouride.

[MetaThought]

Then it’s really a good thing we have people to play the part of school-marm.