[NJ_gent]

I almost get the sense he wants us to totally abandon science altogether because it's not infallible, is sometimes done or controlled by people with non-scientific agendas, is occassionally overhyped by overzealous individuals, does not always live up to its potential immediately, is difficult, doesn't yield instant results, and is sometimes used by people to push whatever it is they're selling.

Wow, welcome to reality.

Peer review and independent confirmation is always very important to the scientific process. Theories are formed, modified, refined, and destroyed all the time. What's important is that we continue striving towards a goal of ultimate truth, whatever that means. Keeping the work and the goals ethically sound, and keeping the process pure are what benefit us as a race and allow us to yield good results as a society. To be afraid of the unknown is natural - to stifle research because we don't wish to hear the truth is criminal.

[pending]

Welcome to FR...
I get from this that he is saying research has been stifled by politics and the system. I read here a frustration with the lack of progress, the opposite of your impression.

His conclusion:
"...the underlying problem is that government funding, which increasingly dominates medical research, demands that a "political" consensus be substituted for the exploration of rival theories by the normal trial and error of scientific method. Government agencies won't fund rival theories."


I have reread it, and I still cannot find a basis for your criticisms.
Please come back on this, it kind of bugs me that the two of us could have such opposite readings of the same material.
later

[Choose Ye This Day]

The human genome in particular is not delivering as expected.

Man, this sounds like the naysayers about Iraq, doesn't it? "It's been a year! Why are there still attacks against our troops? Why isn't Iraq's GDP twice what ours is yet? What's taking so long?"

That's what the tone of this article reminds me of: "Why haven't genomes solved world hunger? Why do we still die? Why can't I fly? Where's my pony? I want a pony!"

[mc5cents]

What's important is that we continue striving towards a goal of ultimate truth, whatever that means.

I'll tell you what that means. It means that we, man, think that we can approach God. We cannot. We are human. Not God. We can NEVER BE GOD. Let us only try to be HUMAN. Let us try to treat each other like we would like to be treated. Let us love one another. I believe that that message was sent to us LONG ago by someone we all know. It is a simple message. We are not listening. We are too busy be smart.

[mc5cents]

What's important is that we continue striving towards a goal of ultimate truth, whatever that means.

I'll tell you what that means. It means that we, man, think that we can approach God. We cannot. We are human. Not God. We can NEVER BE GOD. Let us only try to be HUMAN. Let us try to treat each other like we would like to be treated. Let us love one another. I believe that that message was sent to us LONG ago by someone we all know. It is a simple message. We are not listening. We are too busy being smart.