… We live in an age when all manner of scientific knowledge—from the safety of fluoride and vaccines to the reality of climate change—faces organized and often furious opposition. Empowered by their own sources of information and their own interpretations of research, doubters have declared war on the consensus of […] Read more »
Americans And Scientists Agree More On Vaccines Than On Other Hot Button Issues
You might have gotten the idea from Rand Paul and Chris Christie that most Republicans don’t believe parents should be required to vaccinate their children. In fact, the opposite is true (as statements by Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee and Rick Perry suggest). The majority of people — of […] Read more »
NASA popularity still sky-high
NASA continues to be very popular among the public, with four times as many Americans holding a favorable view of the space agency as unfavorable (68% vs. 17%). In contrast with many other departments and agencies of the federal government, Republicans and Democrats generally have the same positive view. CONT. […] Read more »
Measles Proves Delicate Issue to G.O.P. Field
The politics of medicine, morality and free will have collided in an emotional debate over vaccines and the government’s place in requiring them, posing a challenge for Republicans who find themselves in the familiar but uncomfortable position of reconciling modern science with the skepticism of their core conservative voters. … […] Read more »
Public and Scientists’ Views on Science and Society
… New Pew Research Center surveys of citizens and a representative sample of scientists connected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) show powerful crosscurrents that both recognize the achievements of scientists and expose stark fissures between scientists and citizens on a range of science, engineering and […] Read more »
Why you can ignore that survey showing Americans want to label food containing DNA
Here’s the headline: “80% Of Americans Support Mandatory Labels On Foods Containing DNA. DNA!” Hahaha! Americans are so dumb etc etc. … As the philosopher H. P. Grice noted many years ago, people try to give informative answers. And this leads to problems when you try to directly interpret the […] Read more »